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RETURN TO CAMPUS PLAN FALL 2020 This document reflects Western’s COVID-19 plans as at September 1, 2020.

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Page 1: RETURN TO CAMPUS PLAN€¦ · return to campus and return of students as we increase our operations, deliver academic programs and meet our University’s mission. The University

RETURN TO CAMPUS PLAN

FALL 2020

This document reflects Western’s COVID-19 plans as at September 1, 2020.

Page 2: RETURN TO CAMPUS PLAN€¦ · return to campus and return of students as we increase our operations, deliver academic programs and meet our University’s mission. The University

This document reflects Western’s COVID-19 plans as at September 1, 2020.

TABLE OF CONTENTS WESTERN UNIVERSITY – RETURN TO CAMPUS

Introduction................................................................................................................................................ 1 Health, Safety & Well-being ...................................................................................................................... 2 Western Health Services ........................................................................................................................... 6 Facilities & Building Maintenance ............................................................................................................. 8 Academic Plan ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Research Recovery Plan ........................................................................................................................ 11 Residence Life, Housing, and Hospitality (Food) Services ..................................................................... 22 Student Experience ................................................................................................................................. 25 Indigenous Student Centre ..................................................................................................................... 30 International Students ............................................................................................................................. 33 Return to Sport and Recreational Services ............................................................................................. 35 Libraries................................................................................................................................................... 41 Supporting Employees ............................................................................................................................ 44 Communication ....................................................................................................................................... 47 University Advancement ......................................................................................................................... 48 Other Services ........................................................................................................................................ 50

Student Financial Aid .......................................................................................................................... 50 The Bookstore ..................................................................................................................................... 50 McIntosh Gallery ................................................................................................................................. 51

APPENDICES Appendix A: Tiered Shutdown of Campus .............................................................................................. 53 Appendix B: Daily Return to Campus Health Assessment ..................................................................... 54 Appendix C: Employee Protocols for COVID-19 Cases and Exposures ................................................ 55 Appendix D: Public Health Ontario – How to Self-isolate ....................................................................... 57 Appendix E: Example of Distancing Analysis - Ivey Business School .................................................... 59 Appendix F: Sample of Core Campus Occupancy Estimates by Building & Space Type ...................... 63 Appendix G: Wellness and Well-being Education Proactive Prevention Plan for COVID-19 ................. 64 Appendix H: Western Fall 2020 Co-Curricular Programming ................................................................. 70 Appendix I: International Student Arrival 2020........................................................................................ 71 Appendix J: Western Mustangs – Sports & Recreation Services Protocols ........................................... 78 Appendix K: Return to Campus FAQs .................................................................................................... 81 Appendix L: Campus Members Steps to Take When Returning to Campus .......................................... 82 Appendix M: Cleaning Protocols for Leaders .......................................................................................... 84

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This document reflects Western’s COVID-19 plans as at September 1, 2020. Western University Return to Campus Plan | 1

Western University – Return to Campus Plan

Introduction Western University is committed to returning to campus and welcoming students back for the fall semester after comprehensive and detailed planning. All of the plans are designed to prioritize a safe and secure learning and research environment while being responsive to the changing government regulations and public health protocols.

Beginning in late-March, the University began what has become an ongoing process of learning and planning how to live, study and work in the midst of a pandemic. Therefore, the University’s plan outlined in this report should be considered as one that will evolve and remains open to change based on the latest public health developments as well as our understanding of the safest and best practices for mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

The plan is intended to provide a general overview with overall guidance of the University’s return to campus and return of students as we increase our operations, deliver academic programs and meet our University’s mission.

The University commenced a phased return to campus on May 12 outlined in full detail on the Western COVID-19 website.

• Phase 1: May 12 - Core Services (~10% of Western employees on campus) o Phase 1B: June 3 – Faculty & Principal Investigators, June 15 – Laboratory

Access • Phase 2: July 2 (~20% of Western employees on campus) • Phase 3: August 4 (~30% of Western employees on campus) • Phase 4: September (~40% of Western employees on campus)

The University is following direction from government and our local Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) as we have resumed campus activities. As we maintain an environment that prioritizes the health and safety of our students, faculty, librarian/archivists and staff, we will be working toward achieving our operational and academic goals during the fall semester.

The University is committed to creating an environment that will only be sustained if everyone—students, faculty, librarian/archivist, and staff —takes responsibility for their own health and safety and the health and safety of those around them.

In the event that the University needs to shutdown activities on campus, see Appendix A for the Tiered Shutdown of Campus plan.

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This document reflects Western’s COVID-19 plans as at September 1, 2020. Western University Return to Campus Plan | 2

Health, Safety & Well-being

The health and safety of our Western University community is our top priority. We are carefully following ministry regulations, guidelines and directives from Public Health.

Safety protocols have been developed for specific environments at Western; e.g. lab, clinical, classroom, office, trades, dining areas, shared spaces, washrooms, elevators & kitchens.

Our students, faculty, and staff, are important partners in creating a safe community and we’ve developed a mandatory training video for those returning to campus. It describes our new environment - additional signage, new rules and regulations, changes to our physical spaces – all of the things that will look and feel different.

COVID-19 Expected Behaviours

A quick summary of expected behaviors as people begin to return to campus includes: Wearing of face coverings / non-medical masks or other approved personal protective

equipment in enclosed public spaces. Maintaining physical distance of at least six feet from other individuals. Practicing good personal hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes, staying home if sick,

and washing hands thoroughly with soap and water or using hand sanitizer before and after class.

Following guidance communicated by the University and via public postings/signage related to directional traffic flow, maximum occupancy of spaces, assigned seating and closed-off desks/chairs/rooms.

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This document reflects Western’s COVID-19 plans as at September 1, 2020. Western University Return to Campus Plan | 3

Safety Signage

As the University prepares for a phased return to campus, a collection of COVID-19 signage is now available online (examples given below). To help inform students, faculty, staff and visitors about expectations for a safe return to campus, the “Working Together For a Safer Campus Community” signs highlight important actions like wearing face coverings / non-medical masks, physical distancing, washing and sanitizing hands, and more.

Signage will continue to be developed centrally and posted online for faculties/departments to download and display.

Education and Training

An educational video has been developed and implemented as required training for staff and faculty.

Topics covered include COVID-19 transmission, Steps Required to Return, Physical Campus, and Shared Responsibilities.

There will be a specialized video for students that will be in place prior to the beginning of the academic school year.

Daily Return to Campus Health Assessment

Based on advice from public health officials, Western employees and students must complete a ‘Daily Return to Campus questionnaire’ (Appendix B) prior to each work shift or each visit to campus. If employees or students are feeling unwell, they are directed to stay home.

Health, Safety & Well-being

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This document reflects Western’s COVID-19 plans as at September 1, 2020. Western University Return to Campus Plan | 4

Reducing the Risk of Person-to-Person Transmission

Western has considered several levels of protection first, before considering the need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

First Level Elimates risk by limiting the number of people attending the workplace. Western’s phased return does just that, allowing faculties/departments to permit employees who must return to campus to have a gradual, rotational, and periodic presence on campus.

Second Level Where physical distancing isn’t always possible, engineering controls such as plexiglass to separate people have been installed

Third Level Administrative controls such as rules and guidelines to keep people physically separated. Western is working with a global architectural and space planning firm to inform our guidelines, signage, and wayfinding that has been posted across campus.

When the first three levels of protection aren’t enough to control people’s risk, the fourth and final level of protection is PPE.

Supply of PPE

To help support a safe return to campus, the University has purchased 160,000 face coverings that will be distributed across all faculties / departments and available to students, faculty and staff.

The university has adequate pandemic supplies that are available to all faculties/departments and include items such as: disposable nitrile gloves, hand sanitizers (various sizes), sanitizing wipes and spray, surgical masks, face shields and plexiglass barriers.

Testing

Western University has the ability to conduct COVID-19 testing on-site at our Western Health Services Clinic. We have a partnership with London Health Sciences Centre / St.Joseph’s Health Care Laboratory for quick turnaround time for analysis and results.

Employee Protocols for COVID-19 Cases & Exposures

See Appendix C for Western’s Employee Protocols for COVID-19 Cases & Exposures.

Health, Safety & Well-being

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Contact Tracing

Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU), in collaboration with Western, will lead the contact tracing for COVID-19 for any student, staff or faculty member in the Western community. In an effort to support the work of MLHU, Western will monitor the attendance in classes and buildings in an effort to allow for quick contact tracing to occur and hopefully contain the spread of the virus. To-date, MLHU and Western have been involved in a few incidents of contact tracing for Western community members.

Self-Isolation & Quarantine

Western has developed protocols for both students and employees (see Appendix D) and follows guidance from Public Health.

Accommodation & Flexibility

The University will work with immunocompromised and other at-risk students, faculty and staff to develop appropriate adjustments for those for whom masks are not an option.

Health, Safety & Well-being

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Western Health Services

Student Health Services and Family Practice Clinic

Student Health Services and the Staff/Faculty Family Practice Clinic will continue to provide essential medical care to our campus population; however, we are seeking to further minimize the risk of COVID-19 community spread by moving to a full-time virtual model of care and a part-time clinical model of care.

Student Protocols for COVID-19 Cases & Exposures

A) If a student in residence tests positive for COVID-19 (symptomatic OR asymptomatic) • inform Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) immediately at 519-663-5217, accessible 24/7 • all contact tracing is done by MLHU • this student must self-isolate • give student the MLHU handout titled “How to Self-Isolate” • obtain consent from the student to discuss with residence management in order to offer

safe/supported living environment during the recovery period • if consent to disclose to residence management is obtained, call Melissa White (Acting

Director of Residence) or her designate at a phone # that will be provided, accessible 24/7 • residence will provide a single room space with a private bathroom & meal delivery service

to the student affected • if the student is symptomatic, they are required to self-isolate for a full 14 days, and then if

they have been afebrile with improving/resolved symptoms for the last 24-48 hours, they may leave self-isolation and re-integrate

• if the student is asymptomatic throughout, they must complete 14 days of self-isolation before they will be able to re-integrate

B) If a student in residence is exposed to COVID-19 and is asymptomatic • exposure is defined as close contact with a known or suspected case, less than 2m apart,

for 15 minutes or more, without the use of PPE • this student must get a COVID-19 test • the student must quarantine for 14 days • give student the MLHU handout titled “How to Self-Isolate” • obtain consent from the student to discuss with residence management in order to offer

safe/supported living environment during the recovery period • if consent to disclose to residence management is obtained, call Melissa White (Acting

Director of Residence) or her designate at a phone # that will be provided, accessible 24/7 • residence will provide a single room space with a private bathroom & meal delivery service

to the student affected • if the student’s COVID-19 test is positive, then complete the algorithm in scenario A

depending on whether or not the student is symptomatic vs. asymptomatic • if the student’s COVID-19 test is negative and they are asymptomatic throughout, they must

complete the 14 days of quarantine before they can re-integrate • if the student’s COVID-19 test is negative but they develop symptoms within the 14-day

quarantine period, they need to have another COVID-19 test done and progress through the algorithm from there

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C) If a student living off-campus tests positive for COVID-19 (symptomatic or asymptomatic) • inform MLHU immediately at 519-663-5217, accessible 24/7 • all contact tracing is done by MLHU • this student must self-isolate • give student the MLHU handout titled “How to Self-Isolate” • Residence/Housing is not responsible for providing lodging/food for off-campus students • MLHU will counsel off-campus students about self-isolation • if the student is symptomatic, they are required self-isolate for a full 14 days, and then if they

have been afebrile with improving/resolved symptoms for the last 24-48 hours, they may leave self-isolation and re-integrate

• if the student is asymptomatic throughout, they must complete 14 days of self-isolation before they will be able to re-integrate

D) If a student living off-campus is exposed to COVID-19 and is asymptomatic • exposure is defined as close contact with a known or suspected case, less than 2m apart,

for 15 minutes or more, without the use of PPE • this student must get a COVID-19 test • the student must quarantine for 14 days • give student the MLHU handout titled “How to Self-Isolate” • Residence/Housing is not responsible for providing lodging/food for off-campus students • MLHU will counsel off-campus students about self-isolation • if the student’s COVID-19 test is positive, then complete the algorithm in scenario C

depending on whether or not the student is symptomatic vs. asymptomatic • if the student’s COVID-19 test is negative and they are asymptomatic throughout, they must

complete the 14 days of quarantine before they can re-integrate • if the student’s COVID-19 test is negative but they develop symptoms within the 14-day

quarantine period, they need to have another COVID-19 test done and progress through the algorithm from there

Western Health Services

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Facilities & Building Maintenance

Building Readiness

Following recommendations from the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers and Workplace Safety and Prevention Services regarding mechanical systems (eg. HVAC), Facilities Management has made several adjustments to mechanical and water systems to ensure they continue running to the very highest quality standards.

• Air handling unit schedules have been adjusted to increase run time

• All Demand Management efforts that impact ventilation have stopped

• Ventilation systems have preventative maintenance measures in place to ensure proper operation, including fresh air and return air dampers as well as filters

• All ventilation units on campus maximize fresh air use, unless outdoor conditions do not allow for it

• Facilities Management is actively monitoring and maintaining humidification systems to ensure that humidity in buildings is kept at appropriate levels

• Water systems on campus are being flushed on a regular schedule

Capacity Analysis

Western engaged globally recognized architecture firm, Perkins & Will, to conduct detailed capacity analysis in 42 of our academic, residences and library buildings to provide strategies for classroom and undergraduate laboratories capacity and traffic patterns. An example can be found below with a complete building file in Appendix E. The capacity of each classroom has been determined to ensure proper physical distancing including the consideration of common spaces and corridors.

IVEY Room 1100

Previous Capacity: 636

Distanced Capacity:

104

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Signage was then installed in the buildings to support traffic flow. Seating was removed from the classrooms or modified to ensure the room capacities are followed.

Several signs were also developed to support safety protocols that have been put in place such as distancing in kitchens, washrooms and labs spaces as shown below.

In addition to the classroom and undergraduate lab capacity analysis, Western is undertaking an overall capacity analysis by building which will build to an overall capacity for the campus (Appendix F). This graph highlights all the physical distanced capacities for the buildings as well as areas of concern such as washrooms, kitchenettes and other crush points.

Facilities & Building Maintenance

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Academic Plan

The University will approach the Fall 2020 semester prepared to respond to a range of scenarios. That means we could be in Phase 3 or Phase 4 of our Return to Campus plan and be prepared to adjust the plan depending on the government and public health directions.

The following summary lays out the University plans for return to campus and the academic fall semester as of July 27, 2020.

Hybrid Delivery of Courses The implementation of instructional modality was established by the faculty in collaboration with the Deans and Chairs.

The University would return to delivery both on-line courses and face-to-face classes on campus. After careful review of classroom capacity to ensure six-foot physical distancing, we plan to have 23 courses in a face-to-face delivery mode of our over 3000 undergraduate and graduate courses offered in the academic year. In addition our professional programs of Medicine, Dentistry, Law, Nursing, Therapy (Occupational, Speech, Audiology, and Physical), Business and Education will have some face to face classes to meet the academic requirements of the program. All face-to-face classes will meet the current provincial regulations of 50 people or less in attendance.

All fall classes with enrollments of 120 or more students would be offered in a purely online mode to ensure we have space needed for in-person smaller classes. Four of our larger courses will be delivered in mixed modality (face-to-face and online), in which no more than half of the students participate in class, while the others participate on-line. The majority of the face-to-face classes have a maximum of 55 student capacity. The remainder of our courses will be taught on line this fall.

In all of our planning we have reviewed both classroom and building capacity to accommodate appropriate traffic flow in and out of the classrooms.

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Research Recovery Plan

Western has put in place a number of Health and Safety Protocols for Research. Here are the directions provided to our research community

General Guidelines for Research Recovery

1) Guiding Principles • Safety of students, faculty and staff and others remain the first priority. • Public Health and Provincial government guidelines will determine our actions. • Deans, in partnership with Human Resources and Facilities Management will dictate the

schedule of return and activities. Approval to open a research area for initiation of research activity will be provided by the Dean or, if designated, a Department Chair or School Director.

2) Websites to Consult for additional information, training and guidelines. • The full list of COVID-19 information from Public Health Agency of Canada • PHAC Risk-Informed Decision-Making Guidelines For Workplaces and Businesses During

COVID-19 Pandemic • PHAC: Non-medical masks and face coverings • Public Health Ontario offers online training modules • High quality printable signage for cleaning of public spaces and for handwashing and for

mask use • Self-screening signage • Western Return to Campus Updates • Western Health & Safety Measures • Western Occupational Health and Safety • Addendum to COVID-19 Research Recovery Plan: Animal-Based Research (OWL)

3) General Parameters and Concerns Affecting Recovery Plans • Research spaces, Investigator offices, or student work areas and other research resources

cannot open until a) their respective buildings are opened by the institution and are deemed ready for occupancy, and b) approval is received by the Dean or designated Department Chair or School Director.

• Research recovery has to occur in concert with recovery of other University activities and in adherence to public health and provincial guidelines for safety. Therefore, research recovery will occur as a gradual scale- up of research facilities and activity.

• All employees must complete the Daily Return to Campus Questionnaire prior to returning to work each shift. The questionnaire can be found within the PeopleSoft system online at myhr.uwo.ca. The questionnaire will appear as a tile within “My Human Resources,” titled “Return To Campus Questionnaire”.

• Physical distancing: This single action remains the fundamental defence against infection. In your plan consider the following in determining how physical distancing can be achieved, or not, in your research areas.

o Capacity of the research area or office to accommodate seated people and their movements within the space. Consider pinch points and how to avoid them.

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o Lunch/coffee/social spaces and/or movement about larger buildings (e.g., In transit from the research space/office to a lunch area or administrative office)

• Work remotely when possible. • Support services personnel will be brought back first to open buildings, ensure their safety,

security and achieve cleanliness. • Be flexible: Conditions, and standards of behaviour, are expected to be variable, particularly

in the early phases of return. Not all research team members may be able to return, want to return, or need to return. If not needed on campus, they should work remotely, particularly in the first phases of return.

• Plan your group-specific recovery model. For example, anticipate supply chain delays (order early), and rebuild animal colonies in a thoughtful manner (anticipate a reversal of recovery should the viral rebound occur).

• Plan the safe practices for your research space • If you conduct community-based research, library research, or other types of off-campus

research (e.g., online, field) ensure physical distancing guidelines can be achieved, and adhere to public health policies and those policies in place of the building or community in which you work.

• Be prepared for the rebound effect. Retain options for return to essential services model and remote work if needed.

• Equity: Look for, recognize and act upon structural and other inequities and health vulnerabilities unique to different groups and research settings to maximize equitable treatment for all trainees, staff and faculty. Develop an accommodation strategy with your ADR and Department oversight personnel.

4) On-Campus Research: The following guidelines have been compiled from information received through MLHU, St. Joseph’s Medicine Lab, PIDAC, Ontario Ministry of Health, Veterinary Services and Human Resources, Western’s Health and Safety Office, discussions with other institutions across Ontario, and documents obtained from other sources throughout North America.

Consult with your Department or School Chair and Associate Dean (Research) on all matters of implementation and follow-up.

Detailed Health & Safety Measures at Western.

Screening: (faculty, staff and students must complete Western’s questionnaire) • For each student before they enter the research space must fill out the Return to Campus

Questionnaire • If student or participant answers “yes” to any question, they are not allowed into the building

and will be directed to Telehealth, Western Student Health and Wellness or MLHU Website for additional guidance.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Primary defences against spreading the COVID-19 infection include physical distancing, frequent hand washing and not touching your face. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the final line of defense in protecting asymptomatic students, researchers and participants against occupational exposure. PPE cannot be used to minimize physical distancing guidelines; rather, PPE is used when physical distancing cannot be maintained.

Research Recovery Plan

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There are several levels of protection to be considered first before considering the need for PPE.

1) Eliminate risk by limiting the number of people attending the workplace. Western’s phased return does this, allowing units/faculties to permit employees who must return to campus to have a gradual, rotational, and periodic presence on campus.

2) If physical distancing isn’t always possible, engineering controls like installing barriers such as plexiglass to separate people are an important second level of protection. Western is reviewing several areas of campus where installing plexiglass will help prevent the spread of the virus.

3) Administrative controls, such as rules and guidelines to keep people physically separated. Western is working with a global architectural and space planning firm to inform our guidelines, signage, and wayfinding. Signage and posters are being installed across campus for elevators, dining areas, shared spaces and washrooms, to name a few examples.

4) When the first three levels of protection aren’t enough to control people’s risk, the fourth and final level of protection is PPE. Non-medical masks, when worn properly, can reduce the spread of one’s own respiratory droplets.

Guidelines for Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):

• Non-medical masks/face coverings: Required use of non-medical masks/ face coverings in the enclosed public spaces. These act as a personal hygiene measure to protect others from potential infectious droplets. Tips for wearing non-medical masks.

• Surgical masks: We require those working in ‘wet’ research labs and teaching labs to wear surgical masks due to physical distancing challenges that may exist in these environments. It is recommended that those working in a shared lab environment should take breaks every 50 minutes, leaving the lab and preferably getting some fresh air outdoors. Two surgical masks per person per shift is recommended, and the mask should be changed if it becomes wet.

• N-95 respirators: Only those working in a clinical setting or in labs where N-95 respirators are normally required should wear them.

• PPE in labs: Any PPE normally required in your lab should be worn at all times. These items could include: face shields, N-95 respirators, surgical masks, safety glasses, gloves, gowns, booties, etc.

Research Recovery Plan

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Ordering Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Pandemic Supplies: It’s important to remember that PPE is the final line of defense in protecting employees against occupational exposure. Employees who feel they require PPE should speak with their supervisor.

Any PPE or pandemic supplies (outlined below) must be ordered through the individual identified as designated requisitioner for your faculty/unit via Mustang Market. This process will enable Procurement Services to properly manage inventory during this critical time.

Researchers can buy supplies from research accounts. Students should buy their own personal masks outside of research lab use. Procurement Services has outlined helpful information for ordering important pandemic supplies, including:

• Ordering pandemic sanitary supplies • Ordering plexiglass barriers and face shields

Any other office or lab supplies not on this list can be ordered through normal channels.

Pandemic supplies include:

• Pandemic-related Sanitary Supplies o Personal size hand sanitizer (keep empty containers to refill) o Medium, 2L pump bottle hand sanitizer (for higher traffic areas) o Large, 4L pump bottle hand sanitizer (for refilling personal size bottles) o Pump, threaded for use on 4L bottles (for refilling personal size bottles) o Sanitizing wipes or spray – with disinfectant (review label before using) o Surgical Masks, with ear loops o Disposable Nitrile Gloves for use in the disinfection process (small, medium,

large & x-large sizes) • Plexiglass Barriers

o Temporary plexiglass barriers may be useful when physical distancing is challenging such as higher frequency customer service/reception areas, and other common-use space applications.

o Product is composed of clear acrylic sheets, precision-cut to sit on a sturdy free-standing base without the use of any adhesive or tape.

o Material is easy to clean and sanitize, shatterproof, and easy to assemble and disassemble for storage.

o Standard sizes should be appropriate for most applications, however, if there are specific requirements for permanent or customized barriers, University Machine Services (UMS) will review and advise while working with Facilities Management as appropriate.

o A Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) review will be required for permanent solutions and will be coordinated by Campus Community Police Services once contacted by UMS.

• Face Shields o Clinical and other specialty areas may require face shields when maintaining

physical distancing is challenging and individual mobility is a necessity. o Product is composed of clear PETG plastic sheets, with adjustable Velcro head

strap. o Material is easy to clean and is reusable.

Research Recovery Plan

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Cleaning: Our Facilities Management (FM) caretaking staff will continue cleaning floors using a hydrogen peroxide-based cleaner (ES65H) on a weekly basis. Caretakers will empty garbage receptacles at that time or as requested. FM caretakers will focus on cleaning high touch surfaces such as door handles and light switches at least daily using disinfectant cleaner. The disinfectant is dispensed through spray bottles or an electrostatic sprayer containing ES65H.

Caretakers do not clean workbenches, countertops or desks to ensure they do not adversely affect any research equipment or specimens. Research labs should procure cleaning supplies from Mustang Market, through their ‘designated requisitioner’ as outlined in the following document: Ordering non-commercial cleaning products.

Between each participant or student: sterilize bedside table, BP cuff, lab benchtops and other counters, chair or computer desks and keyboards, door knobs, light switches, (high touch areas) with a sterilant containing a DIN number. Examples include hydrogen peroxide solution, Lysol wipes; latex gloves must be worn. Given limitations with facilities support staff, students and/or staff of each research area will be responsible for this action and, therefore, may need training.

5) Field Research • If conducting field research, ensure that you do not impose risk or burden on the community

into which you are moving. For example, bring your own food so you do not need restaurants. Proactively ensure that the site you visit is accessible and open. Learn about that site’s requirements and guidelines. For example, field work conducted in national parks will require permission from appropriate authorities.

• Maintain a minimum of 2 metres of physical distance • Arrange travel so that physical distancing is maintained - this may mean multiple vehicles

need to be taken to the site of fieldwork

Research Recovery Plan

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• Keep vehicle windows open and sanitise door handles, steering wheel and other common touch areas at the start and finish

• Minimum field party is two persons • No overnight trips are to occur • Every effort must be made to have designated food and equipment allocated for individuals

for the entirety of the work • If absolutely necessary, shared equipment must be limited. If shared, it must be sanitised

before and after use • No work on boats is permitted until Phase 4. Shore-based work may be considered during

Phase 3, including diving and snorkelling; however, diving and snorkelling plans must be approved by your supervisor

• The plan must include communication methods, logging of the plan with your Unit’s administration and a defined check-in schedule.

6) Community Research and Artistry • Some research work areas may be too confined to accommodate more than one person

while maintaining 2 metres of physical distancing. Consider limiting the number of trainees occupying such spaces, and how they move about these spaces.

• Be aware of the guidelines and risk levels of the various groups with which you work. Physical distancing remains the primary means of infection mitigation. Prioritize online methods, avoiding face-to-face studies in the early phases of recovery.

• Remote contact with research participants is encouraged if feasible and does not compromise the quality of the research.

• When/if in-person contact is allowed by public health officials and the relevant setting (e.g. public spaces, participant homes, community agencies, archive facilities) the following applies:

• Screening – anyone engaged in research in community settings (for example in which data collection would typically not happen at the university) should self-screen according to Appendix 1 and follow guidelines as listed for on campus research. Researchers should screen potential participants with the same criteria and avoid in-person contact as needed.

• Conducting the research: o PPE: when both the researcher(s) and participant (s)are symptom-free, in person

meetings may occur, following the applicable, current public health guidelines for protective equipment, such as staying 2 metres apart, wearing masks.

o Having contact with the same materials should be avoided. If parties do need to touch the same materials then these materials should be cleaned before and after each use as per on-campus guidelines.

7) Considerations for Building Your Research Workplace Plan We highly recommend that each PI, in collaboration with the local administration, develop re-entry plans that are specific to their research situation with the mindset of safety. These plans should consider the following:

• The ability to adhere to safety guidelines will be considered in decisions regarding research ramp-up. For example, depending on research space, community engagement conditions or other research models in use, and the number of students/trainees, perhaps only 20% of students can return into the space to achieve physical distancing guidelines of 2 metres. Therefore, consider a rotational model of student activity in the space. Students not

Research Recovery Plan

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collecting data should stay home in the early phases of the recovery to minimize risk and minimize the work required by institutional staff to support cleanliness, safety and security.

• Evaluate the workflow within your research area to establish the pinch points (where two or more people may be forced to come within 2 metres of each other). You may have to reorganize to mitigate these risks.

• Consider plexiglass shields between work stations, and the direction of air flow within the room (avoid people sitting downwind from others).

• Varying types of studies and research settings will require varying applications of the guidelines:

o Non-human single investigator research. Consider the guidelines for travel or accessibility of library use and their restrictions.

o Bench top settings – single or multiple students per bench. o Bench top settings – more than one student in lab. o In research settings involving interviewing or other contact-involving human

participants, move to online or phone versions when possible. If face-to-face contact is necessary consider delaying and discussing the options with your supervisor.

o Risk level and PPE/cleaning requirements will vary depending on how many researchers are required to conduct the study, the level of contact required for the study, biohazard collections (blood, saliva, biopsy), etc.

o Group training studies. Group sizes and physical distancing rules apply as per Public Health Guidelines.

o Consider pinch points in work areas and work-flow schemes.

List of Specific Issues to Consider • Review the Public Health Agency for updated health guidelines (see URL sites provided

above) • Review the Human Resources Health and Safety guidelines for safe return to campus and

research spaces • Direct faculty, staff, students to complete Western’s Daily Return to Campus Questionnaire • Obtain screening report from students and participants – at least weekly (See My Human

Resources for staff and faculty). • Consult with your ADR, Department/School Chair or Director about your plan • Ensure the general safety of the research space that has been left untouched for several

weeks: electrical cables, biohazard/sharps containers, cleanliness, air flow, running water, • Change footwear and don PPE upon entry, and doff at exit. • Determine trainee and staff workflow through the research areas or community site in which

they work. Create a flow of traffic to minimize pinch points and contact. You may need to re-arrange furniture or equipment to facilitate this goal. Draw a map of the traffic flow and mount in clearly visible places.

• Provide hand sanitizer and other regularly needed items along the workflow pathway for frequent use and to prevent reversal along that pathway.

• Have face masks, shields, gloves and appropriate garments organized and available while minimizing risk of viral transfer. E.g. each student could have their own supply of masks and gloves to prevent cross- contamination.

• Have appropriate sterilant or wipes available without having to move through a high risk area

• Students need to be trained in surface and high-touch area cleaning • Is there a plan for cleaning counters, other surfaces and high-touch areas?

Research Recovery Plan

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• Consider plexiglass barriers between workstations or counter-current walkways to minimize viral transfer.

• Plan experiments to minimize personnel and work flow challenges. • Prioritize studies according to University and Provincial guidelines (critical, longitudinal, risk

for careers, etc.). • Schedule student presence in the research area versus at home to minimize the number of

students on campus. • Establish your need for face masks, latex gloves, face shields, footwear and clothing.

Ensure that these are ordered in advance of the need in accordance with guidelines from your supervisors and procurement services.

• Remember viral exposure can occur anywhere: touching a surface outside of the research area and then re- entering that area could make the viral transfer. Therefore, sanitize hands upon entry and exiting the research area(s).

8) Phased-In Approach to Research Recovery • General Guidelines for On-Campus Research Recovery One-Pager • Western’s Detailed Return to Campus Updates • The phased approach will progress based on Western’s ability to sustain an environment

which prioritizes the safety and security of students, staff and faculty. • Recall that all phases are reversible should external or internal circumstances change.

Phase 1 – June 15: Open Buildings in a phased manner using capacity to protect and clean as major determinants of order.

This period will see the reopening of some buildings on campus, with the return of critical support services personnel only. Not all buildings will be opened. Decisions regarding which buildings and which support services personnel will be determined by Human Resources and Facilities Management as part of the global re-entry plan.

No research areas that were closed in response to the COVID-19 emergency measures will be opened during this period. This is a period for all lab supervisors to prepare for lab opening by establishing their plans. Potential preparation activities for research space occupancy include:

• Determine which supplies, or categories of supplies, will be critical in the next 2-3 months. You can purchase these through normal procurement services at any time. Anticipate supply chain delays. In your decisions regarding supplies, anticipate the possibility of a viral rebound and reversal in the phased re-entry model.

• All trainees and staff should refresh or obtain online training in safe use of PPE, cleaning, and safety of research space.

• Work with your ADR and Department Chair/Director to develop plans for research staff, students and activities (see possible options below). Consider how the principle of physical distancing interacts with work areas, type of work, work-flow, pinch-points for people moving about, lunch and coffee areas, requirements for elevator capacity, and other lab-specific details.

• Consideration of new hiring vs. redeployment and impact of funding reductions. • Conditions for hospital laboratories must follow hospital guidelines. • If your work involves animal studies, begin to re-establish animal colonies in accordance

with ACVS discussions.

Research Research Recovery Plan

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Phase 2 – July 2: Start to recover research activities

During this phase, research activity will be restricted to ~20% occupancy at any one time. Consider use of staggered working hours or even shift-work models that will enable a greater number of trainees and studies to advance while maintaining the occupancy guideline.

Prioritization of COVID-related research projects will continue. An adjudication process will be implemented for approval of all research activities. This adjudication will occur at the Departmental/School and Decanal levels of each unit. Priority studies might include:

• New COVID research projects that need to ramp up as fast as possible. • Projects with deadlines for publication, deadlines for student graduation, or extensive

longitudinal studies where significant cost would be incurred. • Grants or contracts that have specific time-sensitive milestones that need to be completed.

Existing moratoriums on in-person seminars, conferences, and international travel will remain in place until specifically lifted.

Note that visitors, including researchers from outside Western, service personnel, delivery personnel, and vendor representatives must follow existing COVID-19 restrictions for booking appointments. We anticipate face-to-face research models will be among the last to re-start in accordance with risk assessments. In urgent cases the proper use of PPE will enable these studies to advance but only through the use of an approval process administered through the Department oversight models.

Phase 3 – August 4: Expand research activities

Research activity (personnel activity) will be restricted to ~40% occupancy at any given time. Consider use of staggered working hours or even shift-work models that will enable a greater number of trainees and studies to advance while maintaining the occupancy guideline.

• Phased-in return to activity based on approvals of research group plans by the unit-specific oversight team. Any uncertainties must engage discussions with the Western Research and/or Human Resources Occupational Health and Safety team

• Some research activities will be able to move straight to Phase-4 if maintaining physical distancing is not an issue, or where working remotely is a significant component.

Phase 4 - September: Further expansion of research activities. Timeframe – while Covid-19 remains a community health risk

• Increase activity to ~60% occupancy at any one time. This is an anticipated maximum of activity for some time given concerns that it will be more difficult to recruit participants, students and research personnel may not be comfortable or feel safe returning to the research environment, supply chain challenges, etc. Again, consider use of staggered working hours or even shift-work models that will enable a greater number of trainees and studies to advance while maintaining the 60% occupancy guideline.

• Work from home when possible when not directly working in the research area. • Engage collaborative efforts where possible to ensure optimal use of research space and to

expand options for groups with many trainees who could not advance otherwise.

Research Recovery Plan

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• In all cases, establish lines of responsibility and accountability between trainees, research staff, investigators, Departmental/School administration and the Dean’s office.

Resumption of Research Phase 3 with Human Participants

In Phase 3 (August 4) of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic we can begin resumption of research involving human participants using a phased-in approach as well as the following principles and timing:

Overarching principles • All studies must be approved by your respective academic unit process. As needed, these

units may consult with Acting Associate Vice-President (Research), Kevin Shoemaker or Occupational Health and Safety.

• Studies with participants or researchers with known susceptibilities for COVID-19 will require specific discussions between the respective academic unit, Western Research and/or Occupational Health and Safety as per the links above.

• A phased-in approach will be used to provide time for researchers to develop good safety practices in advance of higher-risk studies.

o First, studies of people already on campus (students, staff or faculty participants). o Later in Phase 3, studies will begin using non-Western participants who travel onto

campus, following Western-approved COVID-19 screening mechanisms. o Also later in Phase 3, face-to-face studies conducted off-campus can commence and

will require adherence to both Western risk mitigation strategies (physical distance, masks, hand hygiene, gloves) and those outlined by the organization or community where the research will be conducted. Please note: in the case of off-campus face-to-face meetings, you must provide additional documentation about safety guidelines for the organization where the study will be conducted, along with the adherence plan.

• Please refer to overarching Research Recovery Plan guidelines for further information.

Studies allowed in Phase 3 1) All study models approved in Phase 1 and Phase 2. 2) Studies with no more than minimally invasive* data collection methods where physical

contact is required to attach data collection instruments, under the following conditions: a. Limited to low-risk populations in the early portions of Phase 3. b. Acute studies that can be reversed or stopped in the event of a viral rebound. c. Researchers and participants will wear surgical masks and practice good hand

hygiene while in the research area, even if physical distancing can be achieved. d. When physical contact is required, researchers will don surgical masks, face shields

and gloves. e. Interventions or study procedures are restricted to research

manoeuvres/interventions that retain low levels of breathing volumes that can be achieved while wearing a surgical mask or a filtered respiratory gas collection setup that prevents the spread of exhaled droplets (viral and bacteria capture filters are available).

3) Studies conducted within hospital clinics under the oversight of hospital guidelines and personnel.

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Studies delayed until later in Phase 3 4) On-campus face-to-face studies of persons who express higher risks for COVID-19

susceptibility or morbidity. 5) Studies involving data collection at ventilation volumes above levels sufficiently supported

while wearing a surgical mask (e.g., exercise, altered inhaled levels of oxygen or carbon dioxide).

*Minimally invasive refers to studies of alert participants asked to do simple tasks with or without instrument monitoring in accordance with approved Human Research Ethics documentation.

Research Recovery Plan

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Residence Life, Housing, and Hospitality (Food) Services

De-densify Residence Buildings

Residences are an integral part of the in-person educational experience and plans to honour Western’s first-year residence guarantee, accommodating students on campus this September.

Western is fortunate to have a diverse housing stock, made up of traditional-style, semi-suite, and suite-style residences. Over 50% of Western’s residence spaces are located in buildings that were constructed in the last twenty-five years, where design priorities weighted heavily towards more independent and private accommodations for students. As such, our anticipated capacity for the fall will be 80% our normal occupancy.

We plan to de-densify some of our residence buildings to support physical distancing:

• Students assigned to traditional-style residences will be provided their own bedroom. Rooms designed for double-occupancy will only have one student living in the room.

• Students assigned to suite-style residences will be provided their own bedroom, as these buildings are already made up of entirely single bedrooms.

• Semi-suite residences will see a combination of double rooms being used for single- and double-occupancy. Home to our largest bedrooms on campus, each room can support physical distancing for two roommates. We will only place two students together in these double rooms if they have requested each other as roommates. We will ask that the pair of roommates include each other in their ‘social circles’ for at least two weeks prior to arriving in September.

Traditional-Style Residences Double rooms will have single occupants

Semi-Suite Style Residences Double rooms will be used for both single- and double-

occupancy.

Suite-Style Residences

Students will be assigned their own single rooms

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Additional health & wellness strategies in the residences being employed include:

• All students will be required to complete an online orientation prior to arrival, covering various topics such as proper PPE use, how to properly clean your washroom, navigating campus with physical distancing, etc.

• International students will be required to return early to fulfill a self-quarantine of 14 days. These self-quarantines will all be completed prior to domestic students moving into residence.

• Domestic student move-in days will expand from two to five days to support physical distancing. Students will pre-book a date and time, and be limited to two guests to assist in their move.

• Residence washrooms will see enhanced cleaning and more frequent sanitization, with caretaking staff schedules expanding to seven days a week, and extend beyond business hours

• Each washroom will be provided a caddy of cleaning supplies, for students to augment cleaning before and after each use

• Every residence student will receive a Residence Care Kit, containing two face coverings and a bottle of hand sanitizer

• Hosts will be stationed at Dining Hall entrances to monitor capacity and ensure everyone applies hand sanitizer. Disposable gloves will be provided to limit contact with touch surfaces inside

• Dining Hall staff will continuously sanitize high-touch surfaces such as fridge doors, countertops and dining room tables

• Residence dining halls will shift from a self-serve model to a staff-served model, with food placed in takeaway containers, as seating areas will either be closed or significantly limited

• An isolation protocol has been developed in the event of a positive residence COVID-19 case, with the University having secured a location for self-isolation of a sick student outside of the residences

• A video has been produced to outline our planned health and wellness strategies in residence, which can be viewed here

Residence Life, Housing, and Hospitality (Food) Services

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Hospitality Services

Outside of Residence Dining, Hospitality Services regularly operates a network of 23 different food operations across campus. This includes a combination of franchises and self-operated food concepts.

With a significant decrease in building traffic due to large lectures and classes shifting to online experiences, a number of on-campus eateries will be closed for the upcoming year. Many Hospitality Services employees that typically work on campus will be shifted to work in the Residences, where there will be an increased need for greeters and cleaners, managing of outdoor eating areas, and to cover expanded hours of operation.

Part of Hospitality Services’ strategy includes taking advantage of the outdoors for the first two months of the school year and again in the spring. Two food truck concepts will be operated by Great Hall Catering, creating opportunities for the campus community to head outdoors. As indoor food operations and seating areas will see decreased capacities, outdoor options will provide safer opportunities for community members to dine together, spread out queues for food truck purchases, and take advantage of Western’s beautiful campus.

Supporting our outdoor Hospitality strategy will also include the installation of large tents across campus. Large tents will be installed in front of the Physics & Astronomy building, next to the Labatt Health Sciences building, and on Concrete Beach in front of the University Community Centre. Tents will also be installed at various student residences. These tents will act as hubs for the campus community to share meals with colleagues and classmates, and encourage social interactions and community building in a safer environment than dining inside. Outdoor tents will provide the opportunity for special events and programs to be hosted in a physically distanced manner, where gathering limits can support groups of up to 100.

Residence Life, Housing, and Hospitality (Food) Services

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Student Experience

Prevention Education Strategy

Proactive Education and Outreach To contain the spread of COVID-19, health authorities have tried to enhance preventive behaviour amongst citizens, first by issuing warnings and recommendations about the new virus, and at a later stage by imposing legal restrictions, in some cases involving a complete ‘lock-down’. Changing people’s behaviour, however, is more complicated than simply informing them of the risks. Researchers of health promotion are increasingly aware of the importance of more psychologically informed theories to health-related behaviour intervention (Aunge and Curti, 2016; Michie et al., 2020; Van Bacel et al. 2020), demonstrating that people will only act on health warnings if they:

• Feel motivated to adopt preventive behavior by understanding preventive action (see Harris, 2015);

• Create social norms that encourage preventive behaviour, through information and campaigns targeting people’s self-interest (see Borsari and Carey, 2003);

• Provide concrete advice on how risk behaviours can be replaced by more effective ones, rather than just asking them to stop (see Hale et al. 2014); and,

• Make the behaviour easy, for instance, by building it into existing routines or using nudges (see Vlaev et al. 2016).

As we plan for Fall 2020, Student Experience (see Appendix G) will take the follow steps to engage students as partners in proactive education and awareness about COVID-19:

1) Educational programming via Student Experience social media channels With respect to COVID-19, there is an abundance of information available, with official and unofficial websites continuously updating recommendations and instructions, and media covering the situation around the clock. The amount of information available can create confusion and elicit cognitive avoidance strategies which can minimize perceived threat (Croyle et al. 2013). In addition, when false information is shared and reshared it can appear more valid and therefore, developing consistent and customized key messaging around COVID-19 is necessary (Smith and Judd, 2020).

The Student Experience social media channels are key spaces for educational programming particularly around wellness and wellbeing. During late summer and throughout the fall semester we will provide students with clear messaging and ensure accurate, consistent content from a trusted source. All graphics and suggested messages pushed out throughout social media channels will also be available on the digital Student Experience website. Topics will include: • ways to practice appropriate social distancing measures • ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 • ways to protect yourself and others in public settings • signs and symptoms of COVID-19 • what to do if you are sick • testing information

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Examples: Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Communications Materials

These messages will be tailored to Western students, providing them with helpful references and information relevant to their context and circumstances. We will partner with London Middlesex Health Unit to provide students with specific ways to think about the risks associated with specific behaviours, and concrete strategies that they can use to mitigate those risks (see, for example, Julia Marcus and Eleanor Murray, Boston University, infographic showing different scales of risk). The intention is to be honest, but not fear-based, about the risks associated with certain behaviours in different social settings (e.g., the risks associated with not wearing a mask).

2) Empower students to make wise choices Community engagement can make a substantial difference in health outcomes and strengthen the capacity to deal with the disruptive effects of the pandemic on campus. When universities, offices, shops, restaurants and sports fields are closed, the usual structures and mechanisms around which people organize their daily lives are no longer functioning. Communication and interaction are replaced by digital means, but these tools do not provide the same depth of interaction, trust or relationship-building as face-to-face meetings.

Leveraging student engagement around COVID-19 prevention will include: • Providing healthy settings and opportunities for students to meet, interact and create

relationships, beyond the conventional social spaces; • Promoting examples of successful community action in order to reinforce prosocial

behaviours, rather than shaming, guilting or punishing students into compliance; • Developing and sharing examples of alternative activities that students can do in their

social bubbles; and, • Identifying activities and opportunities to do things in the greater London community.

3) Virtual Communities of Care: COVID impacts students differently While COVID-19 has the potential to impact everyone in society, these impacts will be felt differently. Therefore, the way we educate needs to be viewed from an equity lens.

Students from low socio-economic backgrounds may not have the necessary financial resources to make self-distancing and self-isolation a viable option within the context of their daily livelihoods. Students with disabilities and those with chronic conditions may be impacted disproportionately by COVID-19, particularly if assertive health promotion is absent. Mental health concerns among the most vulnerable within our communities will be exacerbated with expectations to self-isolate, if not approached sensitively.

Leveraging virtual communities of care around COVID-19 prevention within Western Student Experience will involve targeting messaging to specific student groups and populations, including: • Information and resources to support students who may be experiencing domestic or

family abuse while studying at home, as well as upstander intervention techniques; • Harm reduction strategies for mitigating alcohol and other drug use; • Strategies to proactively support student mental health during a time of social isolation,

confinement, stress, anxiety and fear;

Student Experience

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• Online platforms, such as Thrive Online, to share stories that engender empathy and understanding around the diversity of lived experiences in the wake of COVID-19; and,

• Asynchronous education and support sessions for those who are struggling with the effects of COVID-19 on themselves, their families or communities.

4) Nudges to remind students about choices, supports, and resources

We will need to ensure that the educational messages we provide proactively are revisited and reinforced for the duration of the school year.

This will involve: • Providing proactive messaging to students about what they can expect upon a return to

campus; • Collaborating with Western Central Communications, FM, SOGS and the USC to

develop appropriate signage (distancing bubbles, line spacing, room occupancy, etc.); and,

• Ensuring that safety supplies are easily accessible on-campus (e.g., masks, hand sanitizer).

5) Community Wellness Campaign

Peer pressure and the need to fit in socially cannot be underestimated as a factor influencing young adult behaviour (Wade, 2017). With the rise of social media, reputational shaming has become more threatening for young people (Squicciarini, et al. 2015). A number of studies have linked the development of teen brains to riskier behavior (Magliano, 2015). These studies also acknowledge the risk calculus for teens is closely connected to the influence of peer pressure.

A recent study by American researchers examined whether stressing the personal or collective risks – “Don’t get the virus” or “Don’t spread it to others” – would serve better to change how people intended to act. The study concluded that messaging focused on community impact of the virus was more effective in swaying participants (Jordon, Yoeli and Rand, 2020). A follow-up iteration of the survey subsequently found both strategies equally effective, which suggests people’s response to public health messaging may change over time. Therefore, we will continually monitor how students are engaging in our well-being education programming. We may need to implement different approaches to encourage students to stay vigilant over time.

When it comes to prevention education, we need to shift students’ frame of reference from an individualistic perspective to a community wellness perspective. This will involve a community wellness campaign highlighting the impacts of individual behaviour on community (e.g., Baltimore City Health Department)

6) Responding to student concerns With the lingering questions and uncertainties around COVID-19 and the return to campus, we must provide opportunities for students to submit questions so that they can learn more, find resources and have any concerns responded to quickly.

Implementing a ‘text in your questions’ program or an ‘Ask the Experts’ series to address non-medical questions from students throughout the year.

Student Experience

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Responding to Concerns about Students Building on the work of the proactive efforts it will be important to consider the appropriate response to student behaviour that is in violation of the recommended physical distancing guidelines. As mentioned earlier, and to fall in line with the goals of the Student Experience portfolio, our approach to addressing these behaviours will not be punitive but will focus on education and development of the student(s) involved. Most lower-level behaviours (e.g, inappropriate gathering on campus) will be addressed informally, and ideally this correction will take place in the moment by a peer or student volunteer. Work is underway with University Health and Safety, and Housing and Residence Life to create a student ambassador program similar the one used in Western’s smoke-free campus campaign.

For more escalated behaviours (e.g., a large gathering at an off-campus residence) we will need to approach these incidents on a case-by-case basis. It will be important to establish a clear connection to the campus community. Western receives these types of complaints on a regular basis (non-COVID-19 related) and generally the approach is to only address behaviour related to the campus community, or when harm is done to another University community member. The intention behind addressing the behaviour will remain focused on educating the students involved, though the consequences may be greater due to the increased risk of the behaviour. It will be important for Student Experience to continue to collaborate with our on-campus colleagues as well as those in the community, including London Police and By-Law office. Alongside our partners we hope to be able to address any inappropriate behaviour while also working to mitigate the spread of the virus within our campus community.

Reactive Communications Plan/Draft Key Messages The reputation and relationships of the University are put at risk in the aftermath of incidents where students are inappropriately gathering, against the recommendations of the University and public health units. It will be important for reactive messaging to re-emphasize the proactive measures that were taken to discourage these kinds of gatherings. Tools available could include responding to media requests, fielding questions from the community, and potentially internal or public statements from the University.

Suggested Messaging If a house party takes place with Western students hosting or attending: • The safety of our students and the London community is a top priority for Western. • We have been consistently and carefully communicating with our students to ensure they

understand that gatherings of over [insert most current number from public health] – particularly where physical distancing and sanitization protocols are not followed – risk the safety of participants, as well as the wider community.

• The University is aware of this situation and is following up.

Additional messaging if the party involves Western students willfully spreading COVID-19: • We are very concerned about this activity and we are following up swiftly. • Our community has worked very hard to limit the spread of the virus, and this kind of activity

threatens to set us back in significant ways.

Additional messaging if there are COVID cases resulting from attendance at a party: • The University is taking precautions to trace those who may have had contact with the

affected individuals while on campus. We remain vigilant in practicing physical distancing and increased sanitization protocols.

Student Experience Student Experience

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Fall 2020 Co-Curricular Programming Summary

See Appendix H for the Western Fall 2020 Co-Curricular Programming Summary.

Orientation Week

Western’s Orientation Week will run September 6 – 13, 2020, and is an integral part of welcoming our new students to campus. It provides an important opportunity to introduce and strengthen our culture focused on health and wellness, and establish safe patterns of behaviour with regards to physical distancing, wearing face coverings, hand washing, and safe social gatherings, with our new students.

Historically, Orientation Week is made up of a combination of social and academic experiences, to introduce students to their new residence, faculty and Western communities. In the past, these experiences have relied on large gatherings on campus, with large-scale events focused on the masses that have included concerts, movie nights, and dances. This year, these plans are being revised and re-organized, to adhere to provincial guidelines around limits to social gatherings.

Orientation Week is a joint program between Western and the University Students’ Council. Western’s Health & Safety Team have been working closely with the student organizers to review, validate, and approve all events for Orientation Week. This also includes the following planning parameters and priorities:

• Implementing physical distancing at all events • Encouraging best practices around hand washing and sanitization where possible • Utilizing outdoor spaces rather than indoor spaces for events • Ensuring gatherings are no larger than 50 students indoors and 100 students outdoors, as

per Provincial Reopening Guidelines for Stage 3 • Monitoring head counts and controlled access at events to comply with gathering limits • Aligning Orientation space planning to Western’s space planning for the academic year. For

example, the maximum number of students in a particular academic building during Orientation Week will not exceed the expected maximum number of students in a building when classes are in session.

• Following the Provincial Framework document to inform the running of comparable activities during Orientation Week (e.g. karaoke, sports)

• Implementing online/remote/creative solutions into their programming (e.g. campus tours via google maps & zoom rather than in-person)

Peer-to-peer learning and peer influence is an effective strategy to complement our planned education and communications. One thousand student volunteers (Orientation Leaders) help in delivering Orientation Week events, and become peer mentors, guides, and role models to our incoming first-year students. It will be integral to work closely with our Orientation Leaders to ensure they are trained, and understand our health & safety strategies, to ensure they model the way and positively influence the behaviour of our new incoming students.

Student Experience

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Indigenous Student Centre

Responding to the Closure on Campus during Winter Term

Almost immediately, Western’s Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) adjusted to the pandemic by moving a large portion of its programs and services from an in-person to a virtual mode of delivery. While the Centre physically closed in March 2020, the ISC team worked from home to quickly deliver basic services to Indigenous students and engage all staff in training to adapt for virtual modes of delivery.

For the months of March to April, the ISC team ensured proactive communications on pandemic planning and emergency financial aid offerings were sent to Indigenous students in targeted emails, phone calls, and social media (i.e. Instagram and Facebook campaigns), to ensure Indigenous students were informed and felt connected to the Centre and campus.

While some cancellations occurred of larger events such as the ISC graduation ceremony, the team ensured essential services such as academic advising and advocacy were not interrupted and delivered virtually or by telephone. This work often involved proactive outreach to high-risk students for academic, personal, and financial supports. During this time, the team observed that many Indigenous students faced increasing and compounded barriers related to inadequate computers, unreliable internet access, unstable housing, food security issues, and increasing financial needs, which often required staff to deal with instances on a case-by-case basis.

Service Delivery during the Spring/Summer Terms

In a relatively short timeframe, the ISC team adjusted to the new reality and began proactively planning to move more and more programs and services from in-person to an online delivery model. Some of these programs include:

For Students:

• Academic advising appointments by zoom and telephone. • Elders and personal counselling appointments by telephone. • Wellness care kits mailed out to Indigenous staff and students. • Social and cultural programs such as beading circles, corn soup lunches, and academic

preparedness workshops on a virtual platform to give Indigenous students’ opportunities to socially connect during a time of great stress and uncertainty.

• Indigenous Academic Tutor/Mentor Program shifted from in person to an online model (this program partnership is offered with the Thames Valley District School Board). This program offers 4 Western Indigenous students part-time employment where they deliver culturally-relevant academic supports to local Indigenous secondary students online.

• Mini-University summer youth outreach program moved its planning from intensive residential program format to an online delivery mode. This work involved reconfiguring the program’s duration, target audience, and strategizing on making the program more accessible (i.e. offering laptops to all participants). This work has also involved the hiring, orienting, and training 5 Indigenous summer staff members to deliver the program in July and August 2020.

• Recruitment and Admissions. The ISC team worked proactively to complete outreach to all Indigenous applicants in order to increase their conversion rates.

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• In lieu of the ISC Graduation celebration that was supposed to be held in April, the ISC team launched a social media campaign with an ISC stoles to celebrate Indigenous graduates online. The team also proactively celebrated Indigenous graduates through Western news stories.

• The university hired an Indigenous Summer Academic Orientation (SAO) leader to work with all incoming self-identified Indigenous students to help them in their transition in their first year.

For Team and Staff:

• On May 1, 2020, Western launched the new Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII) along with an Acting Vice Provost Associate Vice President (Indigenous Initiatives) position. This structural move involved reorganizing the institution and moving the existing Indigenous Student Centre under the new OII.

• The Acting VP/AVP and the ISC Director have worked closely together to support a transition of their teams and have develop stronger administrative and internal processes.

• The ISC Director has engaged the ISC team in weekly virtual staff lunches, staff meetings and 1:1 meetings to help staff members adjust to a new online approach to working.

• The ISC team has engaged in TEAMS platform training and building various tech capacities. • The ISC team continues to work together to adjust and proactively plan for the fall term

including strategizing on how to move core components of the ISC program such as the Circles of Support Mentoring Program and other core services to a sign up and virtual mode of delivery.

• The ISC team continues to maintain strong ties and communications with the larger Student Experience department to strengthen referrals of Indigenous students to different areas (i.e. Summer Academic Orientation, Accessibilities Services).

• The ISC team collaborated with Student Experience and the new Digital Engagement portal to ensure relevant online information is available to Indigenous students.

Fall 2020 Term

• The ISC team plans to continue offering and expanding its cultural and community building programming into the Fall 2020 including offering beading circle, mentoring sessions, circles of support session, etc.

• The ISC will transition its Indigenous tutor program to a virtual mode for the fall. • The ISC will continue to partner with TVDSB to deliver the Indigenous academic

tutor/mentor program online to Indigenous secondary students in the fall. • The ISC team is exploring opening up the Centre’s computer lab (following strict physical

distancing) on a part time basis sign up only starting in September 2020. This format will meet the needs of Indigenous students who cannot access reliable internet wand computers.

Reopening Campus for Fall 2020

• Western University will be providing a dual model of delivery to its students in the fall 2020. While a large portion of classes will be held online, there will be opportunities to offer some programming on campus.

Indigenous Student Centre

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• The ISC is exploring ways to open up the Centre’s computer lab, printing services, and basic food pick up program (while following strict physical distancing protocols) starting in the fall 2020.

• The ISC will continue to offer its standards programs but will adjust most offerings to virtual modes. Some of these programs include: The Indigenous Circles of Support, Indigenous Tutoring, Indigenous Social programs (corn soup lunches, beading etc.), Indigenous Awareness Week etc.

Indigenous Student Centre

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International Students

Western University anticipates 500 international students coming from 60 countries (information collected from a recent survey) for the Fall 2020 semester. Western International has developed the arrival plan below (see full plan in Appendix I).

Arrival Plan Fall 2020

As we welcome international students who need to travel to Canada this fall, we are committed to supporting their success academically and to assisting them with a safe return to campus and the London community.

Survey of new and returning international students (June 2020) In June 2020, a survey regarding the intentions to return to campus was completed by one third of all international students. Students who are planning to live in residence can self-quarantine within residence as we anticipate their arrival between August 13 and 18. All others will be required to complete the mandatory self-quarantine in one of our arranged off-campus quarantine locations. Those who require off-campus quarantine accommodations will be charged. A financial relief fund for those in need of assistance to support self-quarantine has been established so that students can apply for financial support. Ongoing Advising and Support as Students Prepare to Arrive • International Student Advisors, including licensed immigration professionals, have been

available to meet one-to-one with new and returning students to address immigration concerns, study permit questions and other travel-related inquiries, based on available information from IRCC and the Canadian Border Services Agency.

• The International Liaison team has been available to meet individually with new undergraduate international students via zoom or telephone to advise on course selection, travel and transportation questions, and campus life and answer COVID-19 specific inquiries.

Stages of Western’s International Arrival Plan 1. Pre-Departure • Immigration consulting, advising on travel and other concerns available through Western

International • Information and resources provided via mass emails and other custom communication to

international students • International arrival website with key information and resources

2. Arrival in Canada • Western arranges for transportation directly from Toronto Pearson Airport, working in

partnership with private provider, Robert Q Airbus. • Western recommends private taxi transportation for those arriving at London International

Airport.

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• Western provides electronic and hard copy health and quarantine information for students as part of a quarantine welcome package once they arrive in London.

3. Quarantine: Accommodations, Support & Testing • Western will ensure students have access to a suitable, safe place to complete 14-day self-

quarantine and arranged meal delivery plan. • If students are unable to complete quarantine in their chosen housing or in residence,

Western will arrange off-campus accommodation at Ivey Spencer Leadership Centre and Windermere Manor, and additional off-campus locations as required.

• Western coordinates meal delivery (at cost) to students living in residence, and those in pre-arranged off-campus quarantine accommodations.

• Western provides additional supplementary support and resources to students living in their own housing if requested.

• Effective August 15th all International students will a COVID-19 test after 14-day quarantine. 4. Quarantine Support • Students receive daily email or phone check-ins from Western International volunteers, in

partnership with the Student Experience health team • Check-ins to include questions about physical and mental well-being. • Each student living in residence or in Western’s off-campus quarantine accommodations is

provided a quarantine welcome package including information and resources, some food and other essentials.

• Western provides resources for local delivery of groceries, pharmacy needs, etc. to students living in their own accommodations for self-quarantine.

• Western International provides virtual social connection and engagement opportunities, working in partnership with Student Experience and other teams.

5. Health Care • International students will have access to Student Health Services and can request an

appointment with a physician. • UHIP provides general health care coverage for most students beginning on or about

August 10. • Returning students may access supplemental health insurance through the University

Students’ Council and the Society of Graduate Students health insurance plans (new students would have access as of September 1).

International Students

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6. Campus Integration & Ongoing Support • International students will have access

to virtual programming, connection and engagement opportunities.

• International students will be provided with guidance and training on staying safe while on campus, what services and amenities are available and how to navigate physical spaces.

• Western International, working in partnership with Student Experience, provides ongoing campus support programs for academic success, social integration, physical and mental health.

Return to Sport and Recreational Services

See Appendix J for Western Mustangs – Sports & Recreation Services Protocols.

Spirit and Connection

Response to COVID-19 In June 2020 USport and the OUA announced that competition would be suspended for the fall semester. It is anticipated that competition will resume in January.

Many of our signature events include large numbers of students and fans congregating together in our stands; which is not possible under the current government guidelines. With no large scale events to focus our energy and resources, we need to pivot to deliver virtual programming and content. Our intention is to continue to invoke Mustang spirit and pride throughout the fall and carry on that momentum when live events return.

Proposed Phased Return for Spirit and Connections The table below outlines the proposed phased return for Spirit and Connections programme. Detailed plans to ensure physical distancing, cleaning, and building management have also been developed and are available on request. The proposed programming plans outlined were developed to address current advice and guidance from Public Health and reflect recreational sports activity in the City of London and across Ontario.

September • Sports and Recreation Services incorporated into O-Week • Mustangs Rewind Past Game Broadcasts begin on MustangsTV • Marching Band – Purple and Proud Campus March Wednesdays begin • Digital Campaigns begin (Where’s JW, Random Mustang Acts of Kindness,

Head 2 Head Skills Showcase, Student-Athletes vs. Students Challenge) • Extramural E-sports qualifying tournament (in collaboration with

Intramurals) including the following: League of Legends October • Athletics incorporated into virtual Homecoming programming

• Extramural Ontario Post Secondary E-sports (OPSE) League (in collaboration with Intramurals) including the following: League of Legends

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November • Start Hosting Live E-Sports Tournament (pending safety guidelines)

Campus Recreation

Campus Recreation includes facilities, programming, and services that promote emotional, mental, physical, social and overall wellbeing through the participation in active living. By participating in programming, students are encouraged to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle, develop increased self-confidence, improve their stress management, and develop friendships and connections. Recreation also offers experiential experiences for students through our many leadership opportunities. Participation in recreation improves the quality of life and helps students develop a thriving lifestyle.

The programming offered through Campus Recreation is organized into four units:

• Intramural Leagues & Tournaments • Recreational Based Sport Clubs • Fitness & Wellness • Membership Engagement & Thriving Lifestyle

Proposed Phased Return for Campus Recreation Detailed plans to ensure physical distancing, cleaning, and building management have also been developed and are available on request. Tables 1-4 outline the proposed phased return for Campus Recreation programme. The proposed programming plans outlined were developed to address current advice and guidance from Public Health and reflect recreational sports activity in the City of London and across Ontario.

Table 1 Intramural Leagues & Tournaments September • Intramural Esports leagues including the following: Super Smash Bros.

Ultimate, Rocket League, FIFA20 (Soccer), Madden20 (Football), NBA2k20 (Basketball) and NHL20 (Ice Hockey)

• Extramural Esports tournament (in collaboration with Spirit and Connections) including the following: League of Legends

October • Continuing Esports leagues listed above. • Limited outdoor intramural recreational sports leagues including the

following: Soccer, Flag Football, Ultimate Frisbee, Spikeball, 4 on 4 Beach Volleyball (Elgin Beach Volleyball Court), Softball (Westminster Diamond)

• Limited indoor recreational sports leagues including the following: Badminton, Basketball (full and/or 3 on Basketball), Volleyball (full and or/4 on 4 Volleyball), Inner-tube Water-polo (pool), Ice Hockey (Thompson Arena Rink)

• Intramural Esports tournaments including the following: Fortnite • Extramural Ontario Post Secondary E-sports (OPSE) League (in

collaboration with Spirit and Connections) including the following: League of Legends

November • Continuing outdoor and indoor intramural recreational sports leagues listed above.

Return to Sport and Recreational Services

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• Continuing Esports leagues and tournaments listed above. • Continuing Ontario Post Secondary Esports (OPSE) League (in

collaboration with Spirit and Connections) listed above. December • Exam period

Table 2 Recreational Based Sport Clubs September • Virtual clubs week and then clubs could start third week of September.

• Outdoor recreational could be available in many of the clubs – modified version of any of the 8 different martial arts clubs, badminton,

• Strength and conditioning options for others – dragon boat and triathlon. • In addition several could be up and going sport specific – equestrian,

tennis, cricket October-November

• All clubs could be up and running in modified practice spaces. • Limited indoor recreational clubs introduced including the following. Martial

arts groups would look to get back into studio and gym space (where mats are needed) , back into the pool for triathlon, dragon boat

• Many would could move 1 practice or social gathering to a virtual opportunity

December • Exam period

Table 3 Fitness & Wellness (instructor lead programming) September - December

• Digital fitness programming continues. Introduce outdoor fitness and wellness programming including the following: boot camp, yoga, Pilates, Zumba, Zen Barre, HIIT, Tabata, Sculpt and Sweat and Meditation.

• Aqua Boot Camp and private swimming lessons will be offered

Table 4 – Membership engagement and Thriving Lifestyle September- December

• Membership Engagement • Safety Protocol • Reopening in regards to facility entrance, washrooms, water fountains,

cleaning, program areas • A COVID-19 Sport and Recreation Safety Protocol Manual has been

developed to focus on the safety and wellbeing of all students, and staff and faculty members while in our facility and participating in our indoor and outdoor programs. This manual highlights the importance of physical distancing, capacity, layout, and cleaning.

• Few important notes: o Take the temperature of all students, and staff and faculty

members who enter the Western Student Recreation Centre (WSRC).

o Ensure that all information is logged correctly and compliant with provincial guidelines

o Enforce maximum capacity standards that allow safe physical distancing. Members to reserve a time on FUSION Software System - entry & exit counting via tap-ins and exit.

Return to Sport and Recreational Services

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o Ensure there are physical distancing messages and outlines on the floor at the Welcome Desk and throughout the facility

o Provide readily available, contactless hand-sanitizing stations throughout the facility.

o Remove cardio equipment/weight room equipment into our upper three gymnasiums.

o Allocate 10 ‘ by 10 ‘ for every member in a pod section = 100 sq feet using clearly marked floor areas.

o Social Distance spin area • Aquatic Fit Lanes will have scheduled time throughout the week • Badminton and Volleyball will be available daily; Basketball and futsal to

be scheduled pending provincial guidelines. Equipment rental will not be permitted

Sport

We provide a broad spectrum of high-level athletic programme opportunities that coincide with the goal of providing all students with the best student experience. Support for these programmes (leadership, coaching, therapy, strength training, mental conditioning, academic support) are continually reviewed against the current health and safety guidelines. The current sport model provides a flexible sport structure that will respond to the provincial sport organizations and follow the Medical Health Officer guidelines.

The programming offered through Sport is organized into three units:

1) Interuniversity Varsity Sport Teams: 710 student athletes on 12 teams that includes sports such as Basketball (Men’s and Women’s), Squash (Men’s), and Volleyball (Men’s and Women’s).

2) Interuniversity Varsity Clubs: 399 student athletes on 15 clubs that includes sports such as Water Polo, Golf (Men’s and Women’s), and Figure Skating.

3) Athlete Development: Programming helps student athletes succeed in the classroom, on the playing field and in the community all while providing leadership opportunities for them to succeed in the next phase of their lives. Aspects of Mustangs Athlete development include academic success program, medical support including physical and mental wellbeing, strength and conditioning, leadership, community outreach, career planning and transition.

Return to Sport and Recreational Services

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Proposed Phased Return for Sport Tables 1-2 summarize how each unit within the Sport department will continue to deliver programming and outlines the proposed phased return for on campus activity. Detailed plans to ensure physical distancing, cleaning, and building management have also been developed and are available on request. The proposed programming plans outlined were developed to address current advice and guidance from the U Sports Sport Medicine Committee, National and Provincial Sport organizations, Public Health and reflect sports activity in the City of London and across Ontario.

Table 1 Interuniversity Varsity Sport and Interuniversity Varsity Club September • Open tryouts as safely permitted.

• Orientation to campus and sport programing. • Outdoor and digital fitness training for all student athletes.

October • Competition – Limited sports could have local high level competition – golf, tennis, and baseball.

• Virtual competition – cross country and swimming • Small group exhibition competition vs local club sports (U17, U20 teams),

Fanshawe November • Sport skill development and limited team practices with appropriate

precautions • Winter (Two term) sports begin team training as allowable after November

15. December • Exam period. Digital fitness training and sport specific training where

possible. Indoor recreation sports continue

Return to Sport and Recreational Services Return to Sport and Recreational Services

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Table 2 Athlete Development September - October

• Student athlete intake – medicals, eligibility, and strength and conditioning testing

• Student Athlete Orientation • Academic Success Program support – virtual study hall, educational

seminars • Mentorship Opportunities – to support academic success of the student

athletes • Mustangs Athlete Student Council (MASC) and Mustangs Care virtual

meetings to begin • Career Planning, next phase of career sessions

November • Fall Recruiting Day • Scholar Athlete Recognition

December • Exam period - Kinduct strength and conditioning programming, train general strength and conditioning systems

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Libraries

Western Libraries will pursue a digital-first strategy to support the Western community in the fall/winter 2020-21 semesters. This means providing digital library collections and services remotely to meet most teaching, learning and research needs, with teleworking arrangements for staff continuing where it makes sense from an operational standpoint until there is a full return of campus activities. At the same time, Western Libraries will re-introduce a suite of on-campus library services to enhance the student experience that are not able to be delivered virtually. Please see the Western Libraries website for more information: https://www.lib.uwo.ca/covid19/index.html.

A. Remote Service Delivery

Western Libraries has identified that the following services will be provided to the campus community remotely (i.e. digitally) through the fall / winter semesters. • Collections – Western Libraries’ digital collection will be available to users through the library

website, as will digital delivery options for scans of print texts held by Western Libraries. Digital scans will be provided following fair dealing guidelines.

• Course Readings – Course reading material, also known as course reserves, will be provided in digital format online. Western Libraries will acquire course reading materials in digital format for the fall/winter semesters. This includes purchasing digital copies of material, expanding user licenses, and providing copyright clearance services to content being shared through Ares, our digital course readings service.

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• Interlibrary Loans – Western Libraries will continue to provide interlibrary loans service for digital materials. As reciprocal borrowing pandemic processes and protocols are worked through consortially, ILL or document delivery for print materials will be brought online.

• Reference and Research Help– Reference support will be provided through the online Ask chat services. In-depth research consultations and other research, teaching and learning services will be referred and/or provided directly by all functional teams through online options such as chat, email and/or Zoom meetings.

• Instruction and teaching support – Information literacy and primary source literacy instruction will be provided virtually through online learning. Requests for on-campus instruction will be considered on a case by case basis.

• Research and Scholarly Communications – Research data, copyright, open access, research impact, GIS, and statistical data services will be provided through online options such as chat, email and/or Zoom meetings. Some specialized software for data support is available remotely through the MyVLab service.

B. On Campus Service Delivery Western Libraries has identified that the following services will be provided to the campus community on-site through the fall / winter semesters. A small number of staff will be on site to explain policies and procedures to users who visit the library, and to direct users to virtual supports (such as for reference assistance) when appropriate. The following services will initially be launched for primary users, i.e. currently registered students, faculty and staff. After library staff have had time to gauge demand for services, access to in person services may be expanded to the general community if capacity allows. • Collections – Access to print and other physical collections will be mediated by library staff.

No contact pick-up services will continue, with staff retrieving materials requested through the libraries’ online catalogue. Non-circulating collections will be provided via digital delivery (i.e. scans), and/or by appointment for on-site consultation, depending on the nature of the material needed (i.e. maps, special collections or archival materials). Note: Mediated access to collections is a requirement due to the need to quarantine or disinfect materials handled by users for 72 hours after use.

• Course Readings– Print course readings services will not be available due to the need to quarantine library materials for 72 hours after use. This makes it impractical to meet high-use collection demands. Course reading material, also known as course reserves, will be provided in digital format. Online course readings services also reflect the reality that the vast majority of Western courses will be delivered online to students at a distance.

• Study Space – A selection of study spaces, including seats with access to a public computer, will be available across our libraries, with a booking system introduced to assist the library in monitoring building capacity and demand. Primary users (Western students, faculty and staff) will be able to book their study seat in advance of their library visit or may book on arrival as a walk-in user, subject to availability. Users will be given booking options from 1-2 hours, will be required to wear a face covering, and must maintain physical distance from other users. Furniture will be fixed, i.e. users will not be able to move seats or tables to create a new seating configuration. Cleaning supplies will be provided for users to clean their space before/after use. Food and drink, except for bottled water, will not be permitted. All of these measures are in place to help lessen the potential for spread of COVID-19 in an indoor, public space where risk of infection is greatest, and align with the

Libraries

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Health and Safety protocols developed for campus shared on the Western Coronavirus Health and Safety website. Users with an assigned study carrel in Weldon Library will be able to access their assigned work space.

• Public printing – Public printing will be available. Funds for printing will only be accepted online via the Papercut gateway, and supplies will be provided for users to sanitize shared hardware used for printing after each use.

• Accessible Education services (Weldon) – Hardware and software for students registered with Accessible Education services will be provided in Weldon Library.

• Cleaning and sanitization – In order to enable cleaning measures recommendations, we will initially open certain floors of each library to the public to allow for housekeeping staff to focus their cleaning and sanitization activities. Housekeeping staff will perform their normal cleaning routines for library spaces, and will sanitize common touch point surfaces (i.e. door handles, washrooms, stair rails) twice a day. Users will be provided with supplies for sanitizing shared surfaces such as desks, chairs and computer equipment between users. Food and drink will not be permitted in library spaces to focus cleaning resources and to reinforce the required wearing of face coverings when working among others.

Public Occupancy The following table identifies the number of people who could be accommodated in public spaces for each library location with physical distancing measures in effect. Across Western Libraries, after physical distancing, we can accommodate approximately 570 student study seats including 94 assigned study carrels. Express visits refers to users visiting the library for public printing and/or to pick up print collection materials. Staff occupancy numbers are not included below.

Library Public Occupancy with Physical Distancing

Notes

Weldon Library

Study Seats - 220 Assigned Study Carrels – 94 Express Visits – 10 Reading Room seats - 6 Accessible Education Seats – 6 Floors - 5

Access to study space will be focused on the main and ground floors of Weldon Library. This will allow housekeeping staff to concentrate their cleaning and sanitization efforts, reduces the need for use of elevators to move through the library, and removes users from the majority of on-site collections, which will be closed for browsing to enable the library to track/quarantine materials as they are used. An appropriate number of library washrooms will be made available to library users based on occupancy.

Taylor Library

Study Seats – 150 Express Visits – 10 Floors - 7

Access to study space will be focused on the main, ground and lower ground floors of Taylor Library. Where users are seated near collections, collections will be closed for browsing to enable the library to track/quarantine materials as they are used. An appropriate number of library washrooms will be made available to library users based on occupancy.

Business Library

Study Seats – 42 Express Visits – 4 Floors - 2

Where users are seated near collections, collections will be closed for browsing to enable the library to track/quarantine materials as they are used.

Law Library

Study Seats – 46 Express Visits – 5 Floors - 3

Access to study space will be focused on the main floor. Where users are seated near collections, collections will be closed for browsing to enable the library to track/quarantine materials as they are used.

Music Library

Study Seats – 18 Express Visits – 5 Floors - 1

Where users are seated near collections, collections will be closed for browsing to enable the library to track/quarantine materials as they are used.

Libraries

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Supporting Employees

Western recognizes the importance of the physical health, mental, and emotional wellbeing of its employees. To support health and well-being a number of internal and external programs and initiatives have been implemented; continue to be developed; and are ever-evolving.

Such programs and initiatives include: Living Well @ Western, a premiere wellness program, designed to encourage and promote a wide variety of physical, cultural, and intellectual activities to improve health and wellness at Western; the 24/7 accessible Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) offered through Morneau Shepell; and the on-campus offices of Occupational Health, Safety and Well-being and Human Rights and Equity.

Further, Western also recognizes the importance of creating a safe environment that enhances the wellbeing of our community and values the psychological and mental health of all employees. To learn and emphasize how each member of the Western community can impact the overall psychological health and safety of the institution, the Healthy Minds program was developed and is being introduced. The Healthy Minds Program is based on the 13 factors of a psychologically healthy workplace identified by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. The program provides opportunity for learning, discussion, development, and methods of promotion of psychological health and safety.

Physical, mental and emotional well-being programs for employees

PROACTIVE SUPPORTS Physical well-being • Ergonomic supports for employees working remotely • Physical activities:

o On-site offerings (modified to adhere to public health guidelines) through Living Well o Virtual offerings (also to be recorded to support future or repeated access) through

LIFT and Campus Recreation o Virtual wellness breaks offered through Living Well and as part of the Healthy Minds

initiative o Smoking cessation programs (EFAP, Occupational Health)

• Dietary support (healthy eating and dietary supports)

Emotional well-being • Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) individual and group based counselling

as well as access to recorded webinars aimed at supporting emotional well-being • Opportunities for professional development, including:

o Leading remote teams o AbilitiCBT: an internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy o Workplace Learning Solutions (through EFAP): Learning webinars providing

education and training on developing leadership skills, building resiliency and navigating change, as well as self-help online program designed help you gain more satisfaction in your current job through: Information on getting the most from performance appraisals Tools to assessing one’s values and skills How to take advantage of mentoring and professional development

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Support groups for those living on their own; caring for seniors Stronger Minds: free digital program provided to employees by Manulife (LTD

provider), to assist in managing the negative effects on mental health as it relates to physical / social distancing

Social well-being • Social connections virtual check ins and socialization opportunities arranged by department

leaders • Group counselling / wellness programs offering networking, peer support and community

collaborations. Topics include: o PARENTING school-aged children through the COVID-19 pandemic; o COMMUNICATION skills as we navigate tension and strain in our relationships with

loved ones; o ANXIETY that may be new or heightened from the pandemic and the chaos it is

causing in many areas of our lives. • Staff and Leader Networks and Forums – opportunity to connect with peers and discuss

issues in supporting the success of students and research

ACUTE AND MAINTENCE SUPPORTS • EFAP 24/7 Employee and Family Assistance call number for traumatic and/or life events • Western’s Occupational Health, Safety and Well-Being Case Managers assisting with stay

at work and return to work (community referrals/work accommodations)

Financial Stressors related to COVID or changing work environments:

• Individual / family financial counselling o Credit/debt management o Budgeting o Bankruptcy o Financial aspects of separation/divorce o Insurance o Income tax planning (work from home implications) o Retirement planning

Care and family stressors related to COVID and or changing work environments supports:

• Working remotely • Flexible work arrangements for employee to meet family obligations • Facilitated support groups for school aged parents on navigating current challenges

Supporting Employees

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Leader supports for navigating challenges in the changing work environment:

• 24/7 access to EFAP manager consults to help leaders deal with difficult work situations • Western’s Leader Toolbox (education materials; workshops) • Mental Health in the Workplace: the Leaders Role • Designing Interactive Virtual Meetings • Empathetic Listening Skills for Leaders • Monthly Leaders Round Tables - supporting high performing engaged teams

Employee learning opportunities:

• Virtual Speaker Series for employees • Designing Interactive Meeting using Zoom • Using Microsoft Teams • Western Continuing Education programs (virtual)

Supporting Employees

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Communication

Western COVID-19 Website The Western COVID-19 website has been utilized to communicate Western’s response to COVID-19. This includes regular updates from the President, Return to Campus FAQs (Appendix K), Phased Return details and Research Resources.

The Western Health and Safety Measures website is another great resource that outlines the steps Western is taking to keep the campus community safe and the steps to take when returning to campus (Appendix L).

International Arrival Website Resources and information on travel and immigration, quarantine accommodations, transportation from the airport, health care, resources and support for settling in: https://iesc.uwo.ca/internationalarrival2020 Cleaning Protocols for Leaders A Staff Planning Tool (Appendix M) was created for senior academic and administrative leaders who are looking for further information on cleaning standards across campus.

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University Advancement

Western’s University Advancement team was able to transition to a remote, virtual operation within two business days of notification. Currently select staff in Advancement Operations access Westminster Hall to manage mail and some financial services. We continue to prioritize alumni and donor engagement, albeit remotely. We are focused on finding creative virtual alternatives to events that connect our alumni to Western and to each other from a distance. We anticipate that the vast majority of our team will continue to work remotely into the fall.

Key Elements of Crisis Response (March to August) • Moved 120+ staff to working virtually and stabilized remote operations • Staff training for new online tools such as Zoom and MS Teams as well as both leadership

and staff training session on how to work effectively in remote environments • Canceled/postponed in-person meetings, travel, alumni events • Connected virtually with donors currently considering proposals and/or who had significant

pledge payments due FY19/20 as well as completed check-in phone calls with our key donors and volunteers

• Pivoted fundraising activities toward Student Relief Fund and COVID-19 research projects (April through to July)

• Discovery program created and all frontline fundraisers trained. The purpose of the program is to connect with alumni and donors and foster new levels of engagement and support.

• Developed and delivered online programming for alumni, students and community • 12 webinars with 11,000 participants • 600% increase in international alumni participation in digital learning from prior year • “Master the Entrepreneur Skillset,” 6-week Masterclass with enrollment of 2,300+ • Together with the Secretariat’s Office, developed a plan for postponing convocation and

welcoming our newest alumni into the alumni network • Enhanced communications from the President to Alumni • Supported development of on-campus summer programming for international students • Engaged alumni in social media campaign to support international student recruitment • Develop a plan for facilitating the return of University Advancement staff to campus on a

rotational basis

Operating in a Blended Environment (Fall) Coming into the fall we are anticipating University Advancement staff will return to Westminster Hall, periodically and on a rotational basis to ensure physical distancing is achieved within the building.

Operations: advance operations efficiency & effectiveness • Continued focus on our staff safety, health & well-being as well as ongoing training and

development to maintain staff engagement and productivity while working remotely • Re-establish fundraising targets • Implement recommendations from internal review focused on optimizing development

activity to engage more donors and increase support across all giving levels. • Advance reporting capability of BBCRM • Establish new key performance metrics through expanded data analytics capabilities of

BBCRM

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Alumni Engagement: Advance digital and virtual capabilities • Virtual Homecoming – focus on reunions, building capacity • Convocation – focus on digital, welcome to alumni community package • Expand virtual learning offerings for students, alumni and community • Build technical capacity and talent for digital and online programming and communications

Fundraising: Focus on stewardship, engagement and re-imagine case for support • Continue to focus personal contacts with alumni/donors on stewardship and discovery • Restart gift discussions on hold due to COVID-19; initiate new major/principal gifts

solicitations where possible • Re-imagine case for support aligned with shift in donor interest • Flexible to respond to evolving student need • Continue to support COVID-19 research initiatives • Respond to emerging institutional priorities where aligned with donor interests

University Advancement

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Other Services

Student Financial Aid

This is a challenging time for students, as they navigate the impact of COVID-19 in their academic, personal, and professional lives. Westerns Student Financial Support website outlines financial supports available at Western and through the provincial/federal governments, as well as strategies for navigating summer/post-grad job prospects during these uncertain times.

Financial Support through Western • Bursary assistance • Financial counselling • Graduate-specific funding and fees • OSAP and government loans • International student emergency funding • Work study (summer term) • International student work opportunities program (summer term)

Western Connect Job Board All Western students have access to the Western Connect portal, which houses thousands of job opportunities on a yearly basis.

Western Undergraduate Summer Research Internship Program The Western Undergraduate Summer Research Internship Program is an initiative to help undergraduates gain experience and secure summer employment during the COVID-19 crisis.

The Bookstore

Ensuring students receive their course material in a safe and efficient manner is the campus Bookstore’s priority. In a typical year, half of the overall annual revenues are seen in the month of September, due to the large numbers of students who visit the Bookstore to purchase their course materials.

The Bookstore has implemented a number of strategies to ensure students receive their course materials in a safe manner:

• The course materials procurement team has worked closely with faculty members throughout the summer, to encourage the use of digital textbooks and course materials. Digital textbooks do not require students to physically attend the store to pick up their course materials, as digital academic content is securely delivered online instead.

• Students who do attend the Bookstore to make course materials purchases will not have access to the book stacks; in lieu of the student shopping themselves, Bookstore employees will take a student’s textbook list at reception, and gather the items for the student. This controls the number of people in the book stacks (which are quite narrow and difficult to physically distance within), and limits the number of people making direct contact with store products.

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• Students will be strongly encouraged to purchase their course materials online through the Bookstore website ahead of time. Once an order is received, the student’s physical course materials will be gathered and taken to the Bookstore’s curbside pickup location. Curbside pickup will take place in the Great Hall within Somerville House from September 3 – 18 including weekends, where students can pick up their purchases at their convenience. This location will allow the ability to create physically distanced queues, support multiple students at once, and create a one-directional traffic flow into and out of the space - logistics that would be difficult to support in the already cramped Bookstore location within the University Community Centre basement.

• Clothing change rooms will remain closed, coupled with a more generous clothing return policy. Clothing that is returned will be allocated to a separate storage room for a period of time before being handled, and then disinfected before being placed back on the store floor.

McIntosh Gallery

Exhibitions and Programs Artists scheduled for exhibitions and program delivery during the summer of 2020 have been notified of cancellations or postponements. We have rescheduled commitments where possible and canceled crowd-attracting events. Research, writing, catalogue production, and planning with artists and content providers continues electronically.

Despite being closed to the public, the gallery will organize and mount thesis exhibitions this summer for Visual Arts Graduate Students in collaboration with the students and the department.

New Strategies for Program Delivery With the gallery closed indefinitely, staff are developing new digital program delivery models in collaboration with colleagues at other university art galleries. These include:

Short Term: Promotion and expansion of our existing online resources, including the Driving Force website, to engage local digital audiences and educators. New series of posts highlighting key works from the collection. New interactive digital programs to replace cancelled programs (for example, Johannes Zits’ Instagram performances and interactive workshop). The entire collection is now available online as of May 1, 2020. We have begun a new partnership with Forest City Gallery to present billboards by artists in prominent locations in London in order to reach large audiences beyond the confines of the gallery.

Medium Term: enhanced digital exhibition animation beginning in fall 2020. This includes live stream performances, artists videos, virtual exhibition tours to compensate for lost attendance at opening receptions and gallery-based activities. We anticipate a gradual return to campus activity and recommend that the gallery be opened to the public as soon as possible within the context of Western’s overall strategy, subject to harm reduction protocols including physical distancing, masks, limited access, and hygiene (see recommended protocols below).

Long Term: Digital programs will become increasingly important over the next five to ten years. We are researching best practices to plan for meaningful digital engagement. This will involve moving from digital representations of existing art works, a painting for example, to commissioning new digital works of art that are created with digital means for digital platforms.

Other Services

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Guidelines for Re-opening McIntosh Gallery Museums perform an essential function for their various communities who will look to cultural institutions for solace, inspiration, and innovative approaches to conceptualizing how the pandemic affects us. McIntosh Gallery is confident that it could open relatively early in the context of Western’s overall strategy. Staff have separate offices. Visitors can be limited to maintain physical distancing protocol. Programs and events can be modified or cancelled to meet requirements. The following guidelines from the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CIMAM) in response to the pandemic will be adapted to coincide with Western’s overall reopening strategy

Visitor Safety 1. All visitors will be asked to verbally confirm the daily Return to Campus Health Assessment.

Implement temperature screening of all visitors as well as keeping an eye out for individuals who appear unwell. These visitors must be turned away and encouraged to seek medical attention.

2. Implement visitor contact information gathering to permit tracing in the future if required. 3. All visitors and participants will be required to wear a mask. 4. Suspend all events where many participants (more than 50 participants in attendance at any

one time, although this may be dependent on local regulations and advisories). 5. Suspend all guided tours. 6. For events that proceed, the following precautionary measures will be required:

• Encouraging adequate physical distancing between visitors and participants by requiring a minimum two metre distance between each visitor and participant.

• Washing or sanitizing hands thoroughly and often and avoid touching your face.

Staff Safety In accordance to the Western Health and Safety website.

Public Communication • Proactively communicate the precautions in place in terms of physical distancing and visitor

contact information (required). • Place Health and Safety signage in prominent places to remind patrons to comply with

relevant prevention and control measures (e.g. avoid shaking hands with other event participants and practice good personal hygiene).

Other Services

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Appendix A: Tiered Shutdown of Campus

Responding to a COVID-19 Outbreak - on direction of province or public heath or the President

Emergency Response Team under the leadership of Vice President, Operations and Finance will communicate the closure to the Western community

• Suspend face-to-face classes• All Residence students will report to their residence room and Residence Manager

• Close libraries, recreational facilities and all campus buildings

STAGE 1 (2-4 hours)

Protect health and safety of people

• Faculty Members will safely close labs and research facilities by suspending research where possible

• Priority research will continue on approval of the Dean and Vice-President, Research

• Health and Safety Officers will work with Faculty Members, and Health & Safety Advisors in each faculty to inspect all laboratories

• Facilities team will secure building systems and ensure protection of campus

STAGE 2 (5-7 days)

Protect research and campus buildings

• Core Services will continue to operate and monitor activity of campus

• This includes the University Leadership (President’s Group and Provost’s Leadership Group), Animal Care and Veterinary Services, Campus Police, Facilities and Building Services including Power Plant; Financial Services; Housing and Residence Services, Human Resource Services, Office of Registrar and Western Technology Services.

STAGE 3(7 days to closing

campus)Provide protection to

campus

• Essential Services includes Campus Police, Power Plant, Animal Care and Veterinary Services, Housing and Residence Services, Health & Safety Officers and President’s Group & Deans

STAGE 4Close campus and only

essential services permitted on campus and

off-site locations

Appendices

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Appendix B: Daily Return to Campus Health Assessment

As of July 21, 2020

Appendices

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Appendix C: Employee Protocols for COVID-19 Cases and Exposures

A) If an employee tests positive for COVID-19 (symptomatic OR asymptomatic) • inform Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) immediately at 519-663-5217, accessible 24/7 • all contact tracing is done by MLHU • employee must self-isolate • provide employee the MLHU handout titled “How to Self-Isolate” • if the employee is symptomatic, they are required self-isolate for a full 14 days, and if they

are now asymptomatic, they can return to work. If they are still having symptoms, they can return to work only when they have been afebrile with improving/resolved symptoms for the last 48 hours,

• if the employee is asymptomatic throughout, they must complete 14 days of self-isolation • All employees must fill out ‘Daily Return to Campus Questionnaire’ prior to returning to

campus B) Employee worked with a co-worker who tested positive for COVID-19 (e.g. possible exposure). Employee should: • notify their supervisor (an Accident/Illness/Incident form should be filled out at this time).

Western will provide supportive measures as needed • not return to work unless instructed by Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU), accessible

24/7 at 519-663-5217 (all contact tracing is done by MLHU) • go for COVID-19 testing at an assessment center as soon as they are able • quarantine for 14 days unless instructed by MLHU • monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, if they develop symptoms they should self-isolate and

contact their physician and/or go for repeat testing • follow direction from MLHU handout titled “How to Self-Isolate”

and

• if employee test is negative, they are still required to remain in quarantine for 14 days from their last exposure to the case. If they develop symptoms, they should seek medical attention.

• All employees must fill out ‘Daily Return to Campus Questionnaire’ prior to returning to campus

C) Employee partner or family member living in the same household has tested positive for COVID-19. Employee should:

• notify their supervisor • not return to work • go for COVID-19 testing at an assessment center as soon as they are able • quarantine for 14 days unless instructed by MLHU • monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, if they develop symptoms they should self-isolate and

contact their physician and/or go for repeat testing • follow direction from MLHU handout titled “How to Self-Isolate”

Appendices

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and

• if employee test is negative, they are still required to remain in quarantine for 14 days from their last exposure to the case. If they develop symptoms, they should seek medical attention.

• All employees must fill out ‘Daily Return to Campus Questionnaire’ prior to returning to campus

D) A family member or close friend (not living in the same household) tested positive for COVID-19. Employee should: • remain at work unless contacted by MLHU • go for COVID-19 testing at an assessment center if they are concerned • monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days • Continue to fill out ‘Daily Return to Campus Questionnaire’ prior to each shift/visit to campus

Definitions: COVID-19- like symptoms: include all respiratory symptoms, such as fever, new cough, new shortness of breath, myalgia, or sore throat. Other symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms can be mild to severe. QUARANTINE: separates and restricts the movement of asymptomatic people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they develop symptoms. The quarantine period for COVID-19 is 14 days after travel outside Canada or a high-risk exposure. SELF ISOLATION: separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. The self-isolation period for COVID-19 is 14 days after the onset of symptoms. Resources: How to (self-isolate) at home when you may have been exposed and have no symptoms: https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/publications/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/covid-19-how-to-self-isolate-home-exposed-no-symptoms/covid-19-how-to-self-isolate-home-exposed-no-symptoms-eng.pdf https://www.healthunit.com/uploads/covid-19-guidance-for-the-general-public-testing-quarantine-and-self-isolation-2020-04-20.pdf Note: A single negative result may exclude COVID-19 at that point in time. However, the individual must continue to follow public health advice provided to them based on their exposure risk for the rest of their 14 days from last unprotected exposure to the case, regardless of the negative result as they may still be incubating. Above Information taken from: https://www.healthunit.com/covid-19-resources-healthcare

Appendices – Appendix C Continued

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Appendix D: Public Health Ontario – How to Self-isolate

Appendices

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Appendices – Appendix D Continued

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Appendix E: Example of Distancing Analysis - Ivey Business School

IVEY BUSINESS SCHOOL - BASEMENT

Appendix Section Appendices

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IVEY BUSINESS SCHOOL – FIRST LEVEL

Appendices – Appendix E Continued

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IVEY BUSINESS SCHOOL – SECOND LEVEL

Appendices – Appendix E Continued

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IVEY BUSINESS SCHOOL – THIRD LEVEL

Appendices – Appendix E Continued

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Appendix F: Sample of Core Campus Occupancy Estimates by Building & Space Type

Cla

ssro

oms/

Lect

ure

Hal

ls

Res

earc

h La

bs

Und

ergr

adut

ate

Labs

Stud

ent O

ffice

s / P

rivat

e St

udy

Roo

ms

Stud

ent L

oung

es /

Col

labo

rativ

e St

udy

Roo

ms

Com

mon

Spa

ces

Con

fere

nce

Roo

ms

Priv

ate

Offi

ces

Ope

n O

ffice

s

Lear

ning

Spe

cial

ized

(Lib

rarie

s)

Line

Spa

ce -

Serv

ice

Are

as (L

ibra

ries)

Col

lect

ions

Spe

cial

ized

(Lib

rarie

s)

Was

hroo

ms

- Mal

e

Was

hroo

ms

- Mal

e - S

talls

Was

hroo

ms

- Fem

ale

Was

hroo

ms

- Fem

ale

- Sta

lls

Was

hroo

ms

- Sin

gle

Use

Caf

es/E

atin

g A

reas

Kitc

hene

ttes

SEB Engineering All 832 246 197 160 68 52 - 18 91 - - - - 5 14 4 13 1 34 5 TEB Engineering All 317 - 146 23 45 - 12 13 65 13 - - - 4 4 4 8 - - 2 CMLP Engineering All 174 - 46 28 80 - - 8 10 2 - - - 3 3 3 6 1 - - ACEB Engineering All 385 96 38 146 30 - - 29 36 10 - - - 4 8 4 12 2 - 11 BLWT Engineering All 16 - 3 - - - - - 12 1 - - - 1 1 1 1 - - - ICFAR Engineering All 53 - - - 39 - - 4 10 - - - - 1 1 1 3 - - 1 FPC Engineering All 12 - 12 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Windeee Engineering All 5 - - - 1 - - - 4 - - - - - - - - - - -

1,794 342 442 357 263 52 12 72 228 26 - - - 18 31 17 43 4 34 19 CSB Schulich All 109 - - 32 - - 2 20 28 27 - - - - 3 - 3 5 - 2 DSB Schulich All 481 95 121 117 44 4 4 14 72 10 - - - 1 8 1 9 4 2 3 HSA Schulich All 201 48 25 - 8 - 5 26 69 20 - - - - 3 - 2 2 - 2 MBL Schulich All 51 - 37 - 5 - - - 7 2 - - - - 1 - 1 - - 2 MSB Schulich All 426 129 99 72 23 2 - 30 61 10 - - - - 6 - 6 9 - 6 PHFM Schulich All 206 45 1 - 45 - - 36 61 18 - - - - 4 - 4 2 - 5 RRI Schulich All 357 - 176 - 7 - - 26 97 51 - - - 5 9 5 9 14 6 4 KB Schulich All 99 51 - 10 14 - - 2 21 1 - - - 1 1 - 2 - - 1 SDRI Schulich All 143 - 72 - 29 - 2 6 29 5 - - - 1 2 1 2 2 1 1

2,073 368 531 231 175 6 13 160 445 144 - - - 8 37 7 38 38 9 26 BGS Science All 332 57 127 65 30 5 1 8 29 10 - - - 3 7 3 11 1 1 1 CHB Science All - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - MSA Science All - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NCB Science All 127 29 24 - 6 9 8 18 30 3 - - - 2 2 2 4 1 7 1 NSC Science All - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PAB Science All 449 113 157 27 12 - 56 16 61 7 - - - 4 4 4 4 2 14 4 WSC Science All - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Biotron Science All - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Collip Science All - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - MC Science All - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

908 199 308 92 48 14 65 42 120 20 - - - 9 13 9 19 4 22 6 Law Law All 305 135 - - 12 29 31 28 63 7 - - - 4 7 4 10 2 25 3 Ivey Ivey All 1,335 581 - 28 37 - 176 219 173 121 - - - 5 19 5 19 - 38 20 UC Arts & Hum.'s All 601 320 - - 116 7 12 25 117 4 - - - 6 7 6 16 12 1 3

2,241 1,036 - 28 165 36 219 272 353 132 - - - 15 33 15 45 14 64 26 Ivey Libraries All 109 - - - - 8 88 - 3 5 - 5 - - - - - - - 1 CMDA Libraries All 25 - - - - - - 6 9 10 - - - - - - - - - 1 Law Libraries All 104 - - - - - 91 - 3 7 - 3 - - - - - - - - Music Libraries All 64 - - - - - 49 - 1 10 - 4 - - - - - - - 1 Taylor Libraries All 554 7 - - - 48 458 8 15 13 - 5 - 3 4 - 7 - - 4 Weldon Libraries All 770 46 - - 90 26 427 24 63 38 26 20 10 18 17 - 28 3 12 18

1,626 53 - - 90 82 1,113 38 94 83 26 37 10 21 21 - 35 3 12 25

WESTERN UNIVERSITY - CORE CAMPUS OCCUPANCY ESTIMATES BY BUILDING & SPACE TYPE

Bui

ldin

g

Floo

r

Tota

l Cap

acity

Facu

ly/U

nit

Total - Engineering

Total - Schulich

Total - Other Stand-Alone

Total - Western Libraries

Total - Science

OCCUPANCY LEVELS UNDER 6ft./2m PHYSICAL DISTANCING PROTOCOL

Appendices

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Appendix G: Wellness and Well-being Education Proactive Prevention Plan for COVID-19

Rationale In the wake of COVID-19, there have been numerous media stories highlighting young people who continue to gather despite social distancing guidelines. In the United States, for example, several colleges have reprimanded fraternities and sororities for continuing to throw large parties despite warning from local and state health authorities about the dangers of gatherings. Concerns about the infection rate did not deter young people lining the beaches of Florida and Mexico during spring break, and more recently in Florida and South Carolina over the July 4th weekend. And the rise of “coronavirus parties” in the United States is particularly concerning. While the current situation on Canadian campuses is more muted, municipalities (see for example Hamilton) are grappling with large groups of young people gathering in public spaces. And the number of young people contracting COVID-19 is growing. At Western, the Office of Off- Campus Housing has reported receiving almost weekly complaints this summer of students hosting parties. As we plan for students to return to London, to live on campus or in the community, we need a proactive and responsive plan to address this concern. Proactive Education and Outreach To contain the spread of COVID-19, health authorities have tried to enhance preventive behaviour amongst citizens, first by issuing warnings and recommendations about the new virus, and at a later stage by imposing legal restrictions, in some cases involving a complete ‘lock-down’. Changing people’s behaviour, however, is more complicated than simply informing them of the risks. Researchers of health promotion are increasingly aware of the importance of more psychologically informed theories to health-related behaviour intervention (Aunge and Curti, 2016; Michie et al., 2020; Van Bacel et al. 2020), demonstrating that people will only act on health warnings if they:

• Feel motivated to adopt preventive behavior by understanding preventive action (see Harris, 2015);

• Create social norms that encourage preventive behaviour, through information and campaigns targeting people’s self-interest (see Borsari and Carey, 2003);

• Provide concrete advice on how risk behaviours can be replaced by more effective ones, rather than just asking them to stop (see Hale et al. 2014); and,

• Make the behaviour easy, for instance, by building it into existing routines or using nudges (see Vlaev et al. 2016).

As we plan for Fall 2020, Student Experience will take the following steps to engage students as partners in proactive education and awareness about COVID-19:

(1) Educational programming via Student Experience social media channels

Appendices

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With respect to COVID-19, there is an abundance of information available, with official and unofficial websites continuously updating recommendations and instructions, and media covering the situation around the clock. The amount of information available can create confusion and elicit cognitive avoidance strategies which can minimize perceived threat (Croyle et al. 2013). In addition, when false information is shared and reshared it can appear more valid and therefore, developing consistent and customized key messaging around COVID-19 is necessary (Smith and Judd, 2020).

The Student Experience social media channels are key spaces for educational programming particularly around wellness and wellbeing. During late summer and throughout the fall semester we will provide students with clear messaging and ensure accurate, consistent content from a trusted source. All graphics and suggested messages pushed out through our social media channels will also be available on the digital Student Experience website. Topics will include:

• ways to practice appropriate social distancing measures • ways to stop the spread of COVID-19 • ways to protect yourself and others in public settings • signs and symptoms of COVID-19 • what to do if you are sick • testing information

Examples: Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Communications Materials These messages will be tailored to Western students, providing them with helpful references and information relevant to their context and circumstances. We will partner with London Middlesex Health Unit to provide students with specific ways to think about the risks associated with specific behaviours, and concrete strategies that they can use to mitigate those risks (see, for example, Julia Marcus and Eleanor Murray, Boston University, infographic showing different scales of risk). The intention is to be honest, but not fear-based, about the risks associated with certain behaviours in different social settings (e.g., the risks associated with not wearing a mask).

(2) Empower students to make wise choices Community engagement can make a substantial difference in health outcomes and strengthen the capacity to deal with the disruptive effects of the pandemic on campus. When universities, offices, shops, restaurants and sports fields are closed, the usual structures and mechanisms around which people organize their daily lives are no longer functioning. Communication and interaction are replaced by digital means, but these tools do not provide the same depth of interaction, trust or relationship-building as face-to-face meetings. Leveraging student engagement around COVID-19 prevention will include:

• Providing healthy settings and opportunities for students to meet, interact and create relationships, beyond the conventional social spaces;

• Promoting examples of successful community action in order to reinforce prosocial behaviours, rather than shaming, guilting or punishing students into compliance;

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• Developing and sharing examples of alternative activities that students can do in their social bubbles; and,

• Identifying activities and opportunities to do things in the greater London community.

(3) Virtual Communities of Care: COVID impacts students differently While COVID-19 has the potential to impact everyone in society, these impacts will be felt differently. Therefore, the way we educate needs to be viewed from an equity lens. Students from low socio-economic backgrounds may not have the necessary financial resources to make self-distancing and self-isolation a viable option within the context of their daily livelihoods. Students with disabilities and those with chronic conditions may be impacted disproportionately by COVID-19, particularly if assertive health promotion is absent. Mental health concerns among the most vulnerable within our communities will be exacerbated with expectations to self-isolate, if not approached sensitively. Leveraging virtual communities of care around COVID-19 prevention within Western Student Experience will involve targeting messaging to specific student groups and populations, including:

• Information and resources to support students who may be experiencing domestic or family abuse while studying at home, as well as upstander intervention techniques;

• Harm reduction strategies for mitigating alcohol and other drug use; • Strategies to proactively support student mental health during a time of social isolation,

confinement, stress, anxiety and fear; • Online platforms, such as Thrive Online, to share stories that engender empathy and

understanding around the diversity of lived experiences in the wake of COVID-19; and, • Asynchronous education and support sessions for those who are struggling with the

effects of COVID-19 on themselves, their families or communities.

(4) Nudges to remind students about choices, supports, and resources We will need to ensure that the educational messages we provide proactively are revisited and reinforced for the duration of the school year. This will involve:

• Providing proactive messaging to students about what they can expect upon a return to campus;

• Collaborating with Western Central Communications, FM, SOGS and the USC to develop appropriate signage (distancing bubbles, line spacing, room occupancy, etc.); and,

• Ensuring that safety supplies are easily accessible on-campus (e.g., masks, hand sanitizer).

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(5) Community Wellness Campaign Peer pressure and the need to fit in socially cannot be underestimated as a factor influencing young adult behaviour (Wade, 2017). With the rise of social media, reputational shaming has become more threatening for young people (Squicciarini, et al. 2015). A number of studies have linked the development of teen brains to riskier behavior (Magliano, 2015). These studies also acknowledge the risk calculus for teens is closely connected to the influence of peer pressure. A recent study by American researchers examined whether stressing the personal or collective risks – “Don’t get the virus” or “Don’t spread it to others” – would serve better to change how people intended to act. The study concluded that messaging focused on community impact of the virus was more effective in swaying participants (Jordon, Yoeli and Rand, 2020). A follow-up iteration of the survey subsequently found both strategies equally effective, which suggests people’s response to public health messaging may change over time. Therefore, we will continually monitor how students are engaging in our well-being education programming. We may need to implement different approaches to encourage students to stay vigilant over time. When it comes to prevention education, we need to shift students’ frame of reference from an individualistic perspective to a community wellness perspective. This will involve a community wellness campaign highlighting the impacts of individual behaviour on community (e.g., Baltimore City Health Department)

(6) Responding to student concerns With the lingering questions and uncertainties around COVID-19 and the return to campus, we must provide opportunities for students to submit questions so that they can learn more, find resources and have any concerns responded to quickly.

• Implementing a ‘text in your questions’ program or an ‘Ask the Experts’ series to address non-medical questions from students throughout the year.

Responding to concerns about students Building on the work of the proactive efforts it will be important to consider the appropriate response to student behaviour that is in violation of the recommended physical distancing guidelines. As mentioned earlier, and to fall in line with the goals of the Student Experience portfolio, our approach to addressing these behaviours will not be punitive but will focus on education and development of the student(s) involved. Most lower-level behaviours (e.g, inappropriate gathering on campus) will be addressed informally, and ideally this correction will take place in the moment by a peer or student volunteer. Work is underway with University Health and Safety, and Housing and Residence Life to create a student ambassador program similar the one used in Western’s smoke-free campus campaign. For more escalated behaviours (e.g., a large gathering at an off-campus residence) we will need to approach these incidents on a case-by-case basis. It will be important to establish a clear connection to the campus community. Western receives these types of complaints on a regular

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basis (non-COVID-19 related) and generally the approach is to only address behaviour related to the campus community, or when harm is done to another University community member. The intention behind addressing the behaviour will remain focused on educating the students involved, though the consequences may be greater due to the increased risk of the behaviour. It will be important for Student Experience to continue to collaborate with our on-campus colleagues as well as those in the community, including London Police and By-Law office. Alongside our partners we hope to be able to address any inappropriate behaviour while also working to mitigate the spread of the virus within our campus community. Reactive communications plan/draft key messages The reputation and relationships of the University are put at risk in the aftermath of incidents where students are inappropriately gathering, against the recommendations of the University and public health units. It will be important for reactive messaging to re-emphasize the proactive measures that were taken to discourage these kinds of gatherings. Tools available could include responding to media requests, fielding questions from the community, and potentially internal or public statements from the University. Suggested Messaging If a house party takes place with Western students hosting or attending:

• The safety of our students and the London community is a top priority for Western. • We have been consistently and carefully communicating with our students to ensure they

understand that gatherings of over [insert most current number from public health] – particularly where physical distancing and sanitization protocols are not followed – risk the safety of participants, as well as the wider community.

• The University is aware of this situation and is following up. Additional messaging if the party involves Western students willfully spreading COVID-19:

• We are very concerned about this activity and we are following up swiftly. • Our community has worked very hard to limit the spread of the virus, and this kind of

activity threatens to set us back in significant ways. Additional messaging if there are COVID cases resulting from attendance at a party:

• The University is taking precautions to trace those who may have had contact with the affected individuals while on campus. We remain vigilant in practising physical distancing and increased sanitization protocols.

References: Aunger, R., & Curtis, V. (2016). Behaviour Centred Design: Towards an applied science of behaviour change. Health Psychology Review, 10(4), pp. 425–446. Borsari, B. and Carey, K.B. (2003). Descriptive and Injuctive Norms in College Drinking: A Meta-Analytic Integration. J Stud Alcohol, 64(3), pp. 331-341.

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Champion V. L., Skinner C. S. (2008) The health belief model. In Glanz K., Rimer B. K., Viswanath K. (eds), Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA, pp. 45–65. Croyle R. T., Sun Y. C., Hart M. (2013) Processing risk factor information: defensive biases in health-related judgments and memory. In Petrie, K. J. & Weinman J. A. (eds), Perceptions of Health & Illnes. Psychology Press, New York, pp. 283–306. Hale, D. R., Fitzgerald-Yau, N. and Viner, R.M. (2014). A Systematic Review of Effective Interventions for Reducing Multiple Health Risk Behaviours in Adolescence. American Journal of Public Health, 104(5), pp.19-41. Epton, T., Harris, P. R., Kane, R., van Koningsbruggen, G. M., & Sheeran, P. (2015). The impact of self-affirmation on health-behavior change: A meta-analysis. Health Psychology, 34(3), pp. 187–196. Jordon, J.J., Yoeli, E. and Rand, D.G. (2020). Don’t get it or don’t spread it? Comparing self-interested versus prosocially framed COVID-19 prevention messaging. (Working Paper). Retrieved from https://psyarxiv.com/yuq7x/ Magliano, J. (2015). Why Are Teen Brains Designed for Risk-Taking? Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-wide-wide-world-psychology/201506/why-are-teen-brains-designed-risk-taking Michie S., West R., Amlôt R., Rubin J. (2020). Slowing down the covid-19 epidemic: changing behaviour by understanding it. BMJ Opinion, March 11, 2020. Smith J. A., Judd J. (2020) COVID‐19: vulnerability and the power of privilege in a pandemic. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 33, pp. 1–3. Squicciarini, A., Rajtmajer, S., Liu, Y. and Griffin, C. (2015). Identification and characterisation of cyberbullying dynamics in an online social network. Retrieved from: https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/2808797.2809398 Vietri, J. T., Li, M., Galvani, A. P., & Chapman, G. B. (2012). Vaccinating to Help Ourselves and Others. Medical Decision Making, 32(3), pp. 447–458. Vlaev, I., King, D., Dolan, P. Darzi, A. (2016). The theory and practice of “nudging”: changing health behaviors. Public Administration Review, 76 (4). pp. 550-561. Prentice-Dunn S., Rogers R. W. (1986). Protection motivation theory and preventive health: beyond the health belief model. Health Education Research, 1, 153–161 Wade, L. (2017). What’s So Cultural about Hookup Culture? Sociology for the Public, 16(1), pp.66-68.

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Appendix H: Western Fall 2020 Co-Curricular Programming

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Appendix I: International Student Arrival 2020

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Appendices – Appendix I Continued

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Appendices – Appendix I Continued

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Appendices – Appendix I Continued

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Appendices – Appendix I Continued

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Appendices – Appendix I Continued

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Appendices – Appendix I Continued

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Appendix J: Western Mustangs – Sports & Recreation Services Protocols

TD Stadium, Mustangs & Alumni Field (Procedures & Guidelines)

We want to remind the Mustangs community of the importance of physical distancing and encourage everyone to consider ways to minimize close contact to help prevent virus transmission while going about your activity. Face coverings are required for anyone who comes to campus when physical distance can’t be maintained or predicted. This includes indoors and outdoors.

All permit holders must sign and submit this document via email before entering the facility. By signing this document, the permit holder acknowledges he/she/they has distributed this information to all participants/guardians who will be coming onto the Western University Campus. Permit holders who have not signed and submitted this document will not be permitted in the facility. This form must be completed and emailed to [email protected] prior to arriving at the facility. It is strongly encouraged all participants take the Government of Ontario self-assessment tool before arriving on campus.

It must be clearly indicated at your time of booking what your programming and size of field requirements are.

1. Do not enter the facility if: a) You have travelled outside Canada in the last 14 days. b) You have symptoms of COVID-19 or are feeling unwell. c) Someone in your household has COVID-19 symptoms in the past 14 days. d) Anyone in your household has been exposed to someone who has or is recovering from

COVID-19.

2. Maximum Numbers on Each playing surface: a) There is a maximum of 10 people total allowed per group.

i) This includes players, goalie, coach, etc. b) No spectators may be permitted at the facility, other than up to one accompanying

parent, guardian or other adult for each athlete under the age of 18. c) Face coverings are required for anyone who comes to campus when physical distance

can’t be maintained or predicted. This includes indoors and outdoors.

3. Parking Lot a) Players are not permitted to get dressed in the parking lot. b) Players MUST wear a face covering at all times. c) Everyone must follow physical distancing rules in the parking lot the same as at the field. d) No loitering at field is permitted during booked times by parents/guardians who are

waiting for their child. If waiting, you must remain in your car. Users must not exceed

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any applicable gathering restriction. The University may require any user(s) to leave the facilities and its premises forthwith in the event that there is a determination by the University that a gathering exceeds any applicable gathering restriction.

e) Users of the all facilities should park in the Huron Flats Parking Lot.

4. Equipment Requirements: a) Players must arrive fully dressed, carrying cleats/footwear, ball, filled water bottle, goalie

gloves, etc. Do not bring equipment bags to the field unless necessary. Only essential items please.

b) Arrive with your water bottle filled already (portable washrooms and water station will not be available).

c) Ensure your water bottle is clearly marked with your name. d) Except for player water bottles, please do not bring any outside food or beverages. e) Use of the permanent team benches will not be allowed. f) No communal team coolers, snacks, or refreshments.

5. Arrival & Departure:

a) Signage will be posted for Arrival and Departure route at each field. b) Follow all signage posted inside and outside of the facility. c) You may arrive 10 minutes prior to your field time and you must depart within 5 minutes

of the completion, change space will not be available for showering at the completion of the rental. Facility users will be granted access to the facility by a designated Western University staff greeter 10 minutes before their rental time. Waiting outside the field by the gates is not permitted you must wait in vehicles or near the parking lot space.

d) Please bring your own hand sanitizer or use the hand sanitizer provided near the “bench” areas.

e) Once users have entered the field, they will proceed to identified bench area for storage of shoes, water bottle, etc.

i. Bench/storage space will be allocated based upon rental time. (a) Benches marked “A” are for Even hour rentals (10:00, Noon,2:00, etc.) (b) Benches marked “B” are for Odd hour rentals (11:00,1:00,3:00, etc.)

f) Upon departure we ask that you bring all litter with you. g) Gates which are not entry points to the field will be locked. Please proceed to the field as

directed.

6. While You are Here: a) Read and follow all posted signage. b) You must practice physical distancing (2m separation) while entering/exiting the surface

and during your time on the field. i) Ensure you spread out during a water break.

c) There will be no water filling station on site. d) Kirkley Centre will remain closed. e) Outdoor East washroom will be open. f) Face coverings are required for anyone who comes to campus. This includes indoors

and outdoors. All Guardians are expected to follow the 2m physical distancing rule. g) Emergency shelter space will not be open in the event of evacuation needed for a storm

that has arrived. Evacuation space is to immediately return to your vehicle. h) There will be no scrimmages or game play permitted. If we witness this, you will be

asked to leave the surface and exit with no refund or credit and all future bookings may be cancelled. We will not process any booking requests in-person. We will coordinate via phone/email only, or you may email [email protected]

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i) NO SPITTING ALLOWED IN THE FACILITY OR OUTSIDE AREAS. 7. What is Provided:

a) No equipment will be provided; this includes corner flags, balls, cones, ice jugs, water jugs, first aid equipment or other training aids.

b) Nets will be provided and secured in place. They are not to be touched or moved during your rental. i) 1 Full size and 2 “Mini” nets for a Half Field Rental ii) 2 Full size and 4 “Mini” nets for a Full Field Rental.

8. User Code of Conduct: a) Please communicate with your group prior to coming to our facility about the procedures

and the necessity of physical distancing. b) Everyone entering the facility should ensure they are not touching anything that is not

necessary. c) There is to be nobody walking around the facility outside of their designated area. d) We will not permit any horseplay among players in a small group and, should we witness

any behaviour contrary to our guidelines, you will be immediately asked to leave and not provided with a refund or credit and all future bookings may be cancelled.

e) We always expect anyone entering the facility to respect all protocols and direction by our management and staff.

By signing this document, I hereby agree that I provided this information to all the participants in my group and understand and agree to all regulations outlined within.

Name of Organizer: ______________________Permit #: _______________

Signature: __________________________ Date: __________________

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Appendix K: Return to Campus FAQs

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Appendix L: Campus Members Steps to Take When Returning to Campus

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Appendices – Appendix L Continued

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Appendix M: Cleaning Protocols for Leaders

This protocol is for senior academic and administrative leaders who are looking for further information on cleaning standards across campus especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some areas may experience questions around cleaning practices as well as products and equipment. We ask you to keep in mind the following key factors when communicating to your teams: Assumptions:

• Classrooms not being utilized will remain locked. These areas were deep cleaned prior to their closure in March 2020 and will not be maintained on a regular basis.

• Faculty and staff are expected to continue to maintain their own equipment including various electronics, keyboards, office equipment, lab equipment, lunchroom equipment such as fridges/coffee makers/Keurigs/microwaves, etc.

• All staff/faculty/students on campus will respect the need for physical (social) distancing to allow FM team members to perform their cleaning assignments.

Cleaning Strategy- Return to Campus:

Building Services follows the recommendations of the Middlesex London Health Unit, Public Health and Government of Canada in our cleaning protocols:

• Areas of campus typically maintained by Building Services will be deep cleaned and sanitized during Phase 1- Core Services.

• Individual office areas will remain outside of the scope of areas maintained by Building Services. Regular service schedule will apply to individual offices.

• Areas with core services staff will continue to be maintained. • Building Services staff normally assigned to facilities not expected to open until future

phases will be redeployed to open areas to provide enhanced "cleaning for health" by providing extra daily service to common/public touchpoints such as door handles, elevator buttons, stair rails, etc.

• Building Services staff assignments will be adjusted to allow for additional cleaning while staff and faculty are on campus.

• The over 300 existing wall mounted and portable hand sanitizer dispensers will be maintained throughout campus buildings. Additionally, the Building Services team will initially provide hand sanitizer bottles as staff and faculty return to campus for meeting rooms and public spaces. Some additional pandemic supplies, such as gloves and masks, will be available through Mustang Market based on product availability (https://www.uwo.ca/finance/procurement/index.html)

• Faculties and Departments are asked to contact FM Client Services (at [email protected]) to advise which areas of their building are being regularly used as each Phase is deployed. This will maximize the effectiveness of our cleaning/sanitization, as well as prevent unnecessary cleaning

• As more areas of campus become operational, regular cleaning and sanitization will extend to those areas.

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Cleaning Products and Equipment:

Building Services is proud to share some information regarding the products we use to ensure we are “Cleaning for Health”. As part of the SHAPE initiative, Building Services has adopted multiple cleaning industry best practices over the past few years, which included the deployment of new equipment and cleaning processes. • ES65H is the standard cleaning product in use on campus. It is a hydrogen-peroxide

disinfectant cleaner that can be used for multiple purposes when diluted appropriately. .

• When diluted for use as a disinfectant, it is proven effective in killing 99.99% of bacteria fungi and viruses, including COVID-19.

• ES65H is DIN (Drug Identification Number) registered. The Environmental Protection Agency in Canada has tested and verified that this disinfectant is safe and effective.

• ES65H is effectively applied through a variety of different methods. Equipment such as microfiber cloths and electrostatic sprayers are now in use in multiple areas on campus to apply ES65H.

Resources: Middlesex London Health Unit Public Health Ontario Government of Canada

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1151 Richmond Street London, Ontario, Canada

N6A 3K7

uwo.ca/coronavirus

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The following document is a comprehensive overview of the planning, procedures and protocols that have been put in place to ensure Western is compliant with the

recommendations of federal, provincial and local public health and ministerial officials. It reflects Western’s plans as they stand now. The plan will be refreshed and updated with

a new date stamp when any significant changes are made. This document is not meant to serve as a guidebook for our campus community. Health and Safety is a shared responsibility of all Western employees and students. Helpful health and safety

information will continue to be updated on Western’s main COVID-19 website: https://www.uwo.ca/coronavirus/health-safety.html

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